• Information Systems Review
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.25-51
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to analyze the key factors affecting satisfaction of the visually impaired SNS users so that they may use SNS more effectively in the future. This study has used three factors such as the information factor, the relationship factor and the speed factor and the usability as independent variables. The social presence factor was used as a parameter and the SNS user satisfaction as a dependent variable. For the research, 195 visually impaired SNS users have participated in this survey. The major findings of this study are that the relationship factor has strong effects on the self-identification factor, the social presence factor and the SNS usage satisfaction among the factors affecting the visually impaired users to be satisfied with SNS. On the other hand, the information factor and usage factor have no effects on the self-identification factor and the social presence factor. However, they have effects on the SNS usage satisfaction. Additionally, the self-identification factor has no effect on the SNS usage satisfaction, but the social presence factor has effect. Based on the above study results, this paper proposed for the government to enhance the educational program on the use of SNS for the visually impaired and to increase its financial and political support on this subject. Additionally, technical supports on SNS service accessibility and usage by the government are vital for the visually impaired. Academically, this study provides a concrete groundwork for the research on the use of SNS by the visually impaired by providing a solid research direction for further study on this subject. Socially, this study helps the visually impaired use SNS more effectively by increasing the general public awareness of the importance of SNS usages by the visually impaired so that the information gap of the society may be diminished in the future.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.147-154
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• 2011

Decision making in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Consultation on the Coastal Area Utilization (CCAU) is footing on the survey reports, thus requires concrete and accurate information on the natural habitats. In spite of the importance of reporting the ecological quality and status of habitats, the accumulated knowledge and recent techniques in ecology such as the use of investigated cases and indicators/indices have not been utilized in evaluation processes. Even the EIA report does not contain sufficient information required in a decision making process for conservation and development. In addition, for CCAU, sampling efforts were so limited that only two or a few stations were set in most study cases. This hampers transferring key ecological information to both specialist review and decision making processes. Hence, setting the effective number of sampling stations can be said as a prior step for better assessment. We introduced a few statistical techniques to determine the number of sampling stations in macrobenthos surveys. However, the application of the techniques requires a preliminary study that cannot be performed under the current assessment frame. An analysis of the spatial configuration of sampling stations from 19 previous studies was carried out as an alternative approach, based on the assumption that those configurations reported in scientific journal contribute to successful understanding of the ecological phenomena. The distance between stations and number of sampling stations in a $4{\times}4$ km unit area were calculated, and the medians of each parameter were 2.3 km, and 3, respectively. For each study, approximated survey area (ASA, $km^2$) was obtained by using the number of sampling stations in a unit area (NSSU) and total number of sampling stations (TNSS). To predict either appropriate ASA or NSSU/TNSS, we found and suggested statistically significant functional relationship among ASA, survey purpose and NSSU. This empirical approach will contribute to increasing sampling effort in a field survey and communicating with reasonable data and information in EIA and CCAU.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.2 s.116
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• pp.198-208
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• 2006

This research was to apply a multi-metric approach, so called the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) as a tool for biological evaluations of water environments, to a wadable stream. For the study, we surveyed 5 sampling locations in Kap Stream during August 2004 ${\sim}$ September 2005. We also compared the biological data with long-term water quality data, obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Korea and physical habitat conditions based on the Quantitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI). We used ten metric systems for the IBI model to evaluate biological stream health. Overall IBI values in Kap Stream averaged 24 (range: 20${\sim}$30, n=5), indicating a "fair ${\sim}$ poor" conditions according to the modified criteria of Karr (1981) and US EPA(1993). Exclusive of 4th survey, average IBI values at the upstream reach (S1 ${\sim}$ S3)and downstream reach (S4 ${\sim}$ S5) were 20 and 24, respectively. However, in 4th survey the averages were 21 and 20 in the upstream and downstream reaches, respectively. This difference was larger in the upstream than in the downstream because of physical condition disturbed during summer monsoon. Values of the QHEI varied from 75(fair condition) to 148 (good condition) and values of QHEI in the S3 were significantly (P=0.001, n=5) lower than other sites. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were greater by 3 ${\sim}$ 8 fold in the downstream than in the upstream reach. We believe that present IBI approach applied in this study may be used as a key tool to set up specific goals for restoration of Kap Stream.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2001

Background : Angiogenesis is an essential process for the growth and metastatic ability of solid tumors. One of the key factors known to be capable of stimulating tumor angiogenesis is the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The serum VEGF concentration has been shown to be a useful parameter related to the clinical features and prognosis of lung cancer and has been recently applied to a the malignant pleural effusion showing a correlation with the biochemical parameters. The VEGF has been shown to play a role in the inflammatory diseases, but rarely in the tuberculosis (TB). The serum and pleural fluid VEGF levels were measured in patients with lung cancer and TB. Their relationship with the clinical and laboratory parameters and repeated measurement 3 months after various anticancer treatments were evaluated to assess the utility of the VEGF as a tumor marker. Methods : Using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the VEGF conoentration was measured in both sera and pleural effusions collected from a total of 85 patients with lung cancer, 13 patients with TB and 20 healthy individuals. Results : The serum VEGF levels in patients with lung cancer ($619.9{\pm}722.8pg/ml$) were significantly higher than those of healthy controls ($215.9{\pm}191.1pg/ml$), However, there was no significant difference between the VEGF levels in the lung cancer and TB patients. The serum VEGF levels were higher in large cell and undifferentiated carcinoma than in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The serum VEGF levels of lung cancer patients revealed no significant relationship with the various clinical parameters. The VEGF concentrations in the malignant effusion ($2,228.1{\pm}2,103.0pg/ml$) were significantly higher than those in the TB effusion ($897.6{\pm}978.8pg/ml$). In the malignant pleural effusion, the VEGF levels revealed significant correlation with the number of red blood cells (r=0.75), the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)(r=0.70), and glucose concentration (r=-0.55) in the pleural fluid. Conclusion : The serum VEGF levels were higher in the lung cancer patients. The VEGF levels were more elevated in the malignant pleural effusion than in the tuberculous effusion. In addition, the VEGF levels in the pleural fluid were several times higher than the matched serum values suggesting a local activation and possible etiologic role of VEGF in the formation of malignant effusions. The pleural VEGF levels showed a significant correlation with the numbers of red blood cells, LDH and glucose concentrations in the pleural fluid, which may represent the tumor burden.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.107-121
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• 2010

We conducted a sensitivity test of Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), in which the influence of biophysical parameters on the simulation of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (RE) was investigated for two typical ecosystems in Korea. For this test, we employed the whole-year observation of eddy-covariance fluxes measured in 2006 at two KoFlux sites: (1) a deciduous forest in complex terrain in Gwangneung and (2) a farmland with heterogeneous mosaic patches in Haenam. Our analysis showed that the simulated GPP was most sensitive to the maximum rate of RuBP carboxylation and leaf nitrogen concentration for both ecosystems. RE was sensitive to wood biomass parameter for the deciduous forest in Gwangneung. For the mixed farmland in Haenam, however, RE was most sensitive to the maximum rate of RuBP carboxylation and leaf nitrogen concentration like the simulated GPP. For both sites, the JULES model overestimated both GPP and RE when the default values of input parameters were adopted. Considering the fact that the leaf nitrogen concentration observed at the deciduous forest site was only about 60% of its default value, the significant portion of the model's overestimation can be attributed to such a discrepancy in the input parameters. Our finding demonstrates that the abovementioned key biophysical parameters of the two ecosystems should be evaluated carefully prior to any simulation and interpretation of ecosystem carbon exchange in Korea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.185-199
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• 1998

Hydrogeochemical and environmental isotope studies were undertaken for various kinds of water samples collected in 1995-1996 from the Bugok geothermal area. Physicochemical data indicate the occurrence of three distinct groups of natural water: Group I ($Na-S0_4$ type water with high temperatures up to $77^{\circ}C$, occurring from the central part of the geothermal area), Group II (warm $Na-HCO_{3}-SO_{4}$ type water, occurring from peripheral sites), Group III ($Ca-HCO_3$ type water, occurring as surface waters and/or shallow cold groundwaters). The Group I waters are further divided into two SUbtypes: Subgroup Ia and Subgroup lb. The general order of increasing degrees of hydrogeochemical evolution (due to the degrees of water-rock interaction) is: Group III$\rightarrow$Group II$\rightarrow$Group I. The Group II and III waters show smaller degrees of interaction with rocks (largely calcite and Na-plagioclase), whereas the Group I waters record the stronger interaction with plagioclase, K-feldspar, mica, chlorite and pyrite. The concentration and sulfur isotope composition of dissolved sulfate appear as a key parameter to understand the origin and evolution of geothermal waters. The sulfate was derived not only from oxidation of sedimentary pyrites in surrounding rocks (especially for the Subgroup Ib waters) but also from magmatic hydrothermal pyrites occurring in restricted fracture channels which extend down to a deep geothermal reservoir (typically for the Subgroup Ia waters). It is shown that the applicability of alkaliion geothermometer calculations for these waters is hampered by several processes (especially the mixing with Mg-rich near-surface waters) that modify the chemical composition. However, the multi-component mineral/water equilibria calculation and available fluid inclusion data indicate that geothermal waters of the Bugok area reach temperatures around $125^{\circ}C$ at deep geothermal reservoir (possibly a cooling pluton). Environmental isotope data (oxygen-18, deuterium and tritium) indicate the origin of all groups of waters from diverse meteoric waters. The Subgroup Ia waters are typically lower in O-H isotope values and tritium content, indicating their derivation from distinct meteoric waters. Combined with tritium isotope data, the Subgroup Ia waters likely represent the older (at least 45 years old) meteoric waters circuated down to the deep geothermal reservoir and record the lesser degrees of mixing with near-surface waters. We propose a model for the genesis and evolution of sulfate-rich geothermal waters.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry Conference
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• 2000.06a
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• pp.16-23
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• 2000

The increasing functional needs of top-quality printing papers and packaging paperboards, and especially the rapid developments in electronic printing processes and various computer printers during past few years, set new targets and requirements for modern paper quality. Most of these paper grades of today have relatively high filler content, are moderately or heavily calendered , and have many coating layers for the best appearance and performance. In practice, this means that many of the traditional quality assurance methods, mostly designed to measure papers made of pure. native pulp only, can not reliably (or at all) be used to analyze or rank the quality of modern papers. Hence, introduction of new measurement techniques is necessary to assure and further develop the paper quality today and in the future. Paper formation , i.e. small scale (millimeter scale) variation of basis weight, is the most important quality parameter of paper-making due to its influence on practically all the other quality properties of paper. The ideal paper would be completely uniform so that the basis weight of each small point (area) measured would be the same. In practice, of course, this is not possible because there always exists relatively large local variations in paper. However, these small scale basis weight variations are the major reason for many other quality problems, including calender blacking uneven coating result, uneven printing result, etc. The traditionally used visual inspection or optical measurement of the paper does not give us a reliable understanding of the material variations in the paper because in modern paper making process the optical behavior of paper is strongly affected by using e.g. fillers, dye or coating colors. Futhermore, the opacity (optical density) of the paper is changed at different process stages like wet pressing and calendering. The greatest advantage of using beta transmission method to measure paper formation is that it can be very reliably calibrated to measure true basis weight variation of all kinds of paper and board, independently on sample basis weight or paper grade. This gives us the possibility to measure, compare and judge papers made of different raw materials, different color, or even to measure heavily calendered, coated or printed papers. Scientific research of paper physics has shown that the orientation of the top layer (paper surface) fibers of the sheet paly the key role in paper curling and cockling , causing the typical practical problems (paper jam) with modern fax and copy machines, electronic printing , etc. On the other hand, the fiber orientation at the surface and middle layer of the sheet controls the bending stiffness of paperboard . Therefore, a reliable measurement of paper surface fiber orientation gives us a magnificent tool to investigate and predict paper curling and coclking tendency, and provides the necessary information to finetune, the manufacturing process for optimum quality. many papers, especially heavily calendered and coated grades, do resist liquid and gas penetration very much, bing beyond the measurement range of the traditional instruments or resulting invonveniently long measuring time per sample . The increased surface hardness and use of filler minerals and mechanical pulp make a reliable, nonleaking sample contact to the measurement head a challenge of its own. Paper surface coating causes, as expected, a layer which has completely different permeability characteristics compared to the other layer of the sheet. The latest developments in sensor technologies have made it possible to reliably measure gas flow in well controlled conditions, allowing us to investigate the gas penetration of open structures, such as cigarette paper, tissue or sack paper, and in the low permeability range analyze even fully greaseproof papers, silicon papers, heavily coated papers and boards or even detect defects in barrier coatings ! Even nitrogen or helium may be used as the gas, giving us completely new possibilities to rank the products or to find correlation to critical process or converting parameters. All the modern paper machines include many on-line measuring instruments which are used to give the necessary information for automatic process control systems. hence, the reliability of this information obtained from different sensors is vital for good optimizing and process stability. If any of these on-line sensors do not operate perfectly ass planned (having even small measurement error or malfunction ), the process control will set the machine to operate away from the optimum , resulting loss of profit or eventual problems in quality or runnability. To assure optimum operation of the paper machines, a novel quality assurance policy for the on-line measurements has been developed, including control procedures utilizing traceable, accredited standards for the best reliability and performance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.422-430
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• 2015

The present study announces that the pH value of seed coating solution makes a significant effect on the microstructure of silicalite-1 zeolite layer formed on ${\alpha}$-alumina support. Seed with an average diameter of 75 nm was dispersed in ethanol to prepare three kinds of seed coating solutions with different pH values, and dip-coated on the support. The pH value was controlled to be 2.2, 7.0, and 9.3, respectively. In the secondary growth process, pH 7 seed solution resulted an uniform, 3 to $4{\mu}m$ thick, completely covered, and 100 nm grained silicalite-1 zeolite separation layer. The uniformity and completeness were explained by a uniform, closely packed, multi-layered, and completely covered seed coating in the pH 7 condition. In the condition, ${\alpha}$-alumina support and seed are oppositely charged: support is positively charged (8.4 mV) and seed, negatively (-1.7 mV). The opposite charging induced a strong electrostatic attraction between seed and support, which made the good seed coating state. On the other hand, pH 2.2 and pH 9.3 seed solutions resulted non-uniform, partially covered, and around $1{\mu}m$ grained zeolite separation layer, since seed and support are the same sign charged in the conditions. The same sign charging induced a strong electrostatic repulsion between seed and support which caused a low coverage of seed. It could be concluded that the pH value of seed coating solution is a key parameter to determine the microstructure of silicalite-1 zeolite separation layer.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.47-75
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• 2009

Recently, researches on Management Information Systems (MIS) have laid out theoretical foundation and academic paradigms by introducing diverse theories, themes, and methodologies. Especially, academic paradigms of MIS encourage a user-friendly approach by developing the technologies from the users' perspectives, which reflects the existence of strong causal relationships between information systems and user's behavior. As in other areas in social science the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) has rapidly increased in recent years especially in the MIS area. The SEM technique is important because it provides powerful ways to address key IS research problems. It also has a unique ability to simultaneously examine a series of casual relationships while analyzing multiple independent and dependent variables all at the same time. In spite of providing many benefits to the MIS researchers, there are some potential pitfalls with the analytical technique. The research objective of this study is to provide some guidelines for an appropriate use of SEM based on the assessment of current practice of using SEM in the MIS research. This study focuses on several statistical issues related to the use of SEM in the MIS research. Selected articles are assessed in three parts through the meta analysis. The first part is related to the initial specification of theoretical model of interest. The second is about data screening prior to model estimation and testing. And the last part concerns estimation and testing of theoretical models based on empirical data. This study reviewed the use of SEM in 164 empirical research articles published in four major MIS journals in Korea (APJIS, ISR, JIS and JITAM) from 1991 to 2007. APJIS, ISR, JIS and JITAM accounted for 73, 17, 58, and 16 of the total number of applications, respectively. The number of published applications has been increased over time. LISREL was the most frequently used SEM software among MIS researchers (97 studies (59.15%)), followed by AMOS (45 studies (27.44%)). In the first part, regarding issues related to the initial specification of theoretical model of interest, all of the studies have used cross-sectional data. The studies that use cross-sectional data may be able to better explain their structural model as a set of relationships. Most of SEM studies, meanwhile, have employed. confirmatory-type analysis (146 articles (89%)). For the model specification issue about model formulation, 159 (96.9%) of the studies were the full structural equation model. For only 5 researches, SEM was used for the measurement model with a set of observed variables. The average sample size for all models was 365.41, with some models retaining a sample as small as 50 and as large as 500. The second part of the issue is related to data screening prior to model estimation and testing. Data screening is important for researchers particularly in defining how they deal with missing values. Overall, discussion of data screening was reported in 118 (71.95%) of the studies while there was no study discussing evidence of multivariate normality for the models. On the third part, issues related to the estimation and testing of theoretical models on empirical data, assessing model fit is one of most important issues because it provides adequate statistical power for research models. There were multiple fit indices used in the SEM applications. The test was reported in the most of studies (146 (89%)), whereas normed-test was reported less frequently (65 studies (39.64%)). It is important that normed- of 3 or lower is required for adequate model fit. The most popular model fit indices were GFI (109 (66.46%)), AGFI (84 (51.22%)), NFI (44 (47.56%)), RMR (42 (25.61%)), CFI (59 (35.98%)), RMSEA (62 (37.80)), and NNFI (48 (29.27%)). Regarding the test of construct validity, convergent validity has been examined in 109 studies (66.46%) and discriminant validity in 98 (59.76%). 81 studies (49.39%) have reported the average variance extracted (AVE). However, there was little discussion of direct (47 (28.66%)), indirect, and total effect in the SEM models. Based on these findings, we suggest general guidelines for the use of SEM and propose some recommendations on concerning issues of latent variables models, raw data, sample size, data screening, reporting parameter estimated, model fit statistics, multivariate normality, confirmatory factor analysis, reliabilities and the decomposition of effects.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.224-230
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• 2005

Purpose: The maximal elastance ($E_{max}$) of myocardium has been established as a reliable load-independent contractility index. Recently, we developed a noninvasive method to measure the regional contractility using gated myocardial SPECT and arterial tonometry data. In this study, we measured regional $E_{max}(rE_{max}$ in the patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), and assessed its relationship with other variables. Materials and Methods: 21 patients (M:F=17:4, $58{\pm}12$ y) who underwent CABG were enrolled. $^{201}TI$ rest/dipyridamole stress $^{99m}Tc$-sestamibi gated SPECT were performed before and 3 months after CABG. For 15 myocardial regions, regional time-elastance curve was obtained using the pressure data of tonometry and the volume data of gated SPECT. To investigate the coupling with myocardial function, preoperative regional $E_{max}$ was compared with regional perfusion and systolic thickening. In addition, the correlation between $E_{max}$ and viability was assessed in dysfunctional segments (thickening <20% before CABG). The viability was defined as improvement of postoperative systolic thickening more than 10%. Results: Regional $E_{max}$ was slightly increased after CABG from $2.41{\pm}1.64 (pre)\;to\;2.78{\pm}1.83 (post)$ mmHg/ml. $E_{max}$ had weak correlation with perfusion and thickening (r=0.35, p<0.001). In the regions of preserved perfusion (${\geq}60%$), $E_{max}$ was $2.65{\pm}1.67$, while it was $1.30{\pm}1.24$ in the segments of decreased perfusion. With regard to thickening, $E_{max}$ was $3.01{\pm}1.92$ mmHg/ml for normal regions (thickening ${geq}40%$), $2.40{\pm}1.19$ mmHg/ml for mildly dysfunctional regions (<40% and ${\geq}20%$), and $1.13{\pm}0.89$ mmHg/ml for severely dysfunctional regions (<20%). $E_{max}$ was improved after CABG in both the viable (from $1.27{\pm}1.07\;to\;1.79{\pm}1.48$ mmHg/ml) and non-viable segments (from $0.97 {\pm}0.59\;to\;1.22{\pm}0.71$ mmHg/ml), but there was no correlation between $E_{max}$ and thickening improvements (r=0.007). Conclusions: Preoperative regional $E_{max}$ was relatively concordant with regional perfusion and systolic thickening on gated myocardial SPECT. In dysfunctional but viable segments, $E_{max}$ was improved after CABG, but showed no correlation with thickening improvement. As a load-independent contractility index of dysfunctional myocardial segments, we suggest that the regional $E_{max}$ could be an independent parameter in the assessment of myocardial function.