• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.237-245
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• 2016

Single households currently account for 26.5% of all households and their number is expected to continue to rise, reaching 34.5% by 2035. An analysis of the consumption trends and needs of single households shows that they are rising as a new consumer group with a focus on investment on the individual and favouring: small but high-tech products: efficient use of limited resources: safety and peace of mind: self-improvement and leisure. Products which meet such demands are having an impact on the growth of home-furnishing market. An analysis of companies in Korea's home-furnishing market, with examples like the lifestyle company IKEA, shows a variety of brands such as SPA brand, furniture specialist, distributor and character products. And yet most are OEM products which lack differentiated product lines and compete with similar display and distribution structure. We needs the Single household consumption tendency of home-furnishing market and differentiation strategy through product analysis. In order to increase the value of companies in the home-furnishing market, in addition to differentiated design, product competitiveness must aspire to higher customer satisfaction with easy assembly, innovation in logistics, innovative sales methods such as virtual-reality simulation for products and space, individually-tailored furniture for the needs of single household and products which combine smart technology. For home-grown home-furnishing brands to have competitiveness, they must leverage on the strengths of the industry, offering differentiated and competitive products in a wider range of areas with convergence functions as well as differentiation in consumer interface and application of advancing technology; in-depth product research is called for.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.261-270
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• 2024

In this study, the effects of relieving itching and improving the barrier due to moisturizing human skin were evaluated for the cream containing Siraitia grosvenorii extract, which is effective in suppressing histamine and improving skin inflammation in the study subjects with itching. 43 female volunteers aged 21 ~ 59 years old (experimental group: 21 and control group 22) suitable for the purpose of the study were used for 4 weeks on the anterior gourd. The evaluation measured the amount of skin moisture and transepidermal moisture loss (TEWL) in the left or right anterior gourd before and after use of the product, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) evaluation due to skin drying, the efficacy and usability questionnaire evaluation of the product, and skin safety evaluation were conducted. As a result of the analysis, compared to before product use, both the experimental group and the control group showed significant improvement effects according to product use 4 weeks after use on the evaluation items of skin moisture and transepidermal moisture loss and the VAS due to skin dryness. In particular, the experimental group showed a significant improvement effect compared to the control group. As a result of the survey on the efficacy and usability of the product, the subjects of the study in the test group showed higher satisfaction than the control group in the case of the items "relieving itching (suitable)", "moisturizing" and "smoothing" after four weeks of use. In terms of usability, the subjects of the study in the experimental group showed higher satisfaction than the control group in the case of the "scent" and "feeling" items. Based on the above results, it is believed that "cream containing S. grosvenorii extract" has an itch relief (barrier improvement) effect due to skin moisturizing and can be used as a functional product for itching and barrier function improvement.

• International Journal of Reliability and Applications
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.27-39
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• 2006

Many real world cases in material failure analysis do not follow perfectly the normal distribution. Forcing of the normality assumption may lead to inaccurate predictions and poor product quality. We examine the failure process of the internal bond (IB or tensile strength) of medium density fiberboard (MDF). We propose a forced censoring technique that closer fits the lower tails of strength distributions and better estimates extremely smaller percentiles, which may be valuable to continuous quality improvement initiatives. Further analyses are performed to build an accelerated common-shaped Weibull model for different product types using the $JMP^{(R)}$ Survival and Reliability platform. In this paper, a forced censoring technique is implemented for the first time as a software module, using $JMP^{(R)}$ Scripting Language (JSL) to expedite data processing, which is crucial for real-time manufacturing settings. Also, we use JSL to automate the task of fitting an accelerated Weibull model and testing model homogeneity in the shape parameter. Finally, a package script is written to readily provide field engineers customized reporting for model visualization, parameter estimation, and percentile forecasting. Our approach may be more accurate for product conformance evaluation, plus help reduce the cost of destructive testing and data management due to reduced frequency of testing. It may also be valuable for preventing field failure and improved product safety even when destructive testing is not reduced by yielding higher precision intervals at the same confidence level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.20-27
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• 2010

In this study, we improved problems in the existing product by PARKER and developed the swivel valve tube couplers that can be produced by a low price in Korea. The major development was that a modulized production method was implemented by introducing a part assembling method that uses a cocking jig, and the production cost was reduced by operating the production process more simply than that of PARKER. Also, it was possible to avoid the patient registered by PARKER through the differences in the number of grooving processes and the type of o-ring. In the results of the rotation test by varying its application angle after installing it to a vehicle, it was verified that the structure proposed in this study can endure the eccentric torque and transformation pressure for various angles that have been considered as the problem in the existing fixed tube couplers. In addition, the structure was developed to adopt the problem that represents differences in the installation position of an air tank or the length and direction of hoses according to the type of vehicles produced in vehicle manufacturers. Furthermore, it was possible to verify that the product developed in this study was more excellent than that of PARKER through comparing the performance according to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.455-464
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• 2018

This study investigated whether the whitening effects of fullerene serum occurred through improvement of melanin production and skin tone and evaluated its potential for use as a cosmetic material for adult women aged 30-55 with dull skin color and pigmentation. Subjects were divided into a control group with fullerene-less serum (B) and an experimental group with serum containing 0.1% fullerene (A) and evaluated over 8 weeks. Visual assessment and measurement of skin conditions (melanin index, skin brightness) were conducted before use of and 4 and 8 weeks after use of the product, and a questionnaire survey and safety assessment were conducted at the end of the experiment. The results revealed that the highest decrease was 0.37% in the experimental group (A) after eight weeks of use of the product, but that this difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, no significant differences were observed upon inter-group comparison. Evaluation of changes in the melanin index and inter-group comparison revealed a significant decline in the experimental group (A) at all time points. Additionally, the $L^*$ value (skin brightness) of the experimental group (A) showed a significant increase (improvement) after eight weeks, while in inter-group comparison revealed a significant increase (improvement) at all time points (4 and 8 weeks later) (p<0.05). Based on a questionnaire survey of efficacy, positive response rates such as improvement of the target parts on week 8 were high in terms of 'improvement of skin color.' Moreover, the safety assessment revealed no adverse reactions. In conclusion, serum containing 0.1% fullerene revealed improved melanin production and skin tone (brightness) and confirmed its potential for use as a cosmetic material with brightening efficacy. Taken together, the results of this study indicate systematic investigation of the effective application and cosmetics formulations of this product are warranted.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.99-112
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• 2000

Objective: This study was conducted to suggest a proper administration system of the quality of herbal medicine. Methods: Related literature was carefully inspected and discussions among specialists in the field of herbal medicine's growth, production, circulation and administration were conducted. Results: 1. The administration of herbal medicine's quality should be done in each stage of its circulation; growing stage, harvesting stage, importing stage, production stage, quality examination stage, wrapping stage, circulating stage, and administration stage. 2. A safety standard should be established for items, parts and origins of each medicinal herb. A standard for the identification of forged products and objective standards for quality discrimination should also be established. 3. A national system for the training of herbal medicine quality administration personnel and herbal medicine discrimination personnel should be established. A data base of standardized product specimens should be established and a pharmacopoeia of herbal medicine should be published as a standard of quality administration in herbal medicine. 4. Research into the following preliminary areas should be conducted to investigate quality adminstration of herbal medicine: research related to herbal medicine's raw materials and herbal medicinal drugs; quality estimation of raw materials and drugs; quality administration in oriental medical hospitals; herbal medicine administration law; herbal medicine administration organization; herbal medicinal pharmacology; and policy-related research for the quality improvement of domestically grown medicinal herbs. Conclusion: For the proper administration of herbal medicine's quality, governmental support and intensive research among specialists should be done for the supply of good quality medicinal herbs and the improvement of the efficacy of herbal medicine.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

This study was conducted for the purpose of improving the usability of the product through the usability evaluation of the voice tag reader to improve the life convenience of the visually impaired. Perceived usability evaluation was conducted for 19 evaluation items based on the evaluation model considering the usability principle and the characteristics of the visually impaired. A total of 50 participants were included for the analysis. As a result of the perceived usability evaluation of the visually impaired, the safety of the voice tag reader, voice and sound quality, and accuracy of voice information were relatively satisfactory. It was found that the reader received a low evaluation in terms of efficiency in use, including the size and weight of the reader, and the convenience of carrying and storing. For the usability improvement, the procedure for using a product needs to be more simplified, and it would be helpful to input and supply tags for commonly used objects in advance.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.127-134
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• 2016

Purpose - Value chain in agriculture refers to direct and indirect activities related to value-added process from raw materials to final products in agricultural industries. In recent years, value chain analysis has become more important in the area of agricultural development. This article reviews the concept and importance of value chain analysis in the context of agricultural development and attempts to suggest improvement strategies. Research design, data, methodology - A literature survey was conducted for value chain analysis for agricultural development. The case of agro-value chain in Cambodia was deeply analyzed based upon interviews with government officers and related experts. Results - It seems that agro-value chain in developing countries are not well developed and does not carry out appropriate functions, compared to developed countries. Because value adding facilities, such as storage, processing and packing plants, milling plants, and etc. are not sufficiently constructed, the quality of agricultural products is low. Especially developing countries may loose opportunities to increase value of their product by exporting their agricultural products as raw materials to neighboring countries. Value adding process is also mainly controlled by traders in local markets or wholesale markets in urban areas. Farmers therefore can get lower share of final value of agricultural products compared to the shares paid to traders. Lastly it is argued that governments of developing countries do not play an active role in developing value chains and do not carry out coordinating functions in an effective and efficient manner. Conclusions - The first step to improve agro-value chain in developing countries is to identify and analyze value chain structure of agricultural products and to make development strategies and implementation programs. For improving value chain of agricultural products in developing countries, it is required to provide not only plans for constructing hardwares, such as wholesale markets, storage facilities, processing and packing plants, and etc., but also plans for improving softwares, such as measures for improving product quality and safety, setting up grade and standard, providing market information, and nurturing producer cooperatives.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.2077-2083
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• 2022

In the unlikely event of core disruptive accident in sodium cooled fast reactors, the reactor containment building would be bottled up with sodium and fission product aerosols. The behavior of these aerosols is crucial to estimate the in-containment source term as a part of nuclear reactor safety analysis. In this work, the evolution of sodium aerosol characteristics (mass concentration and size) is simulated using HAARM-S code. The code is based on the method of moments to solve the integro-differential equation. The code is updated to FORTRAN-77 and run in Microsoft FORTRAN PowerStation 4.0 (on Desktop). The sodium aerosol characteristics simulated by HAARM-S code are compared with the measured values at Aerosol Test Facility. The maximum deviation between measured and simulated mass concentrations is 30% at initial period (up to 60 min) and around 50% in the later period. In addition, the influence of humidity on aerosol size growth for two different aerosol mass concentrations is studied. The measured and simulated growth factors of aerosol size (ratio of saturated size to initial size) are found to be matched at reasonable extent. Since sodium is highly reactive with atmospheric constituents, the aerosol growth factor depends on the hygroscopic growth, chemical transformation and density variations besides coagulation. Further, there is a scope for the improvement of the code to estimate the aerosol dynamics in confined environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

This study focused on the localization of swivel type tube couplers, which all depend on imports. In this study, a computer application analysis was performed using a finite element method as a preliminary study. In the major developments related to the objective of this study, the air brake system produced by car makers represents a different in the installation point of an air tank according to the type of cars or in the length and direction of its hoses and that leads to cause lots of problems. For solving such problems, the design of the major elements in a swivel type tube coupler was analyzed using a finite element method, and its validity was also verified. In the process that verifies the validity of this study, it was necessary to investigate how much external force affects the desorption of the tube support, which is the most important element in swivel type tube couplers. For achieving the investigation, a pressure test was implemented for the tube support according to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards(FMVSS). In the results of the pressure test, all samples satisfied the FMVSS. In addition, several tests were implemented by installing the sample of the developed swivel type tube coupler to an actual vehicle. In particular, rotation tests with various angles were applied by welding the swivel type coupler to an air tank through an argon welding process. In the results of the installing test for an actual vehicle, it was verified that the designed structure was determined as a structure that is able to endure the eccentric torque and deformation pressure applied to several directions that are the major problems in such fixed type tube couplers. Therefore, in the comparison of the performance of the developed product with the product of PARKER, it was possible to verify that the localized swivel type tube coupler developed in this study shows more excellent than that of the existing products by PARKER.