• Title/Summary/Keyword: Linear hypothesis

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Shielding for Critical Organs and Radiation Exposure Dose Distribution in Patients with High Energy Radiotherapy (고 에너지 방사선치료에서 환자의 피폭선량 분포와 생식선의 차폐)

  • Chu, Sung-Sil;Suh, Chang-Ok;Kim, Gwi-Eon
    • Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.1-10
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    • 2002
  • High energy photon beams from medical linear accelerators produce large scattered radiation by various components of the treatment head, collimator and walls or objects in the treatment room including the patient. These scattered radiation do not provide therapeutic dose and are considered a hazard from the radiation safety perspective. Scattered dose of therapeutic high energy radiation beams are contributed significant unwanted dose to the patient. ICRP take the position that a dose of 500mGy may cause abortion at any stage of pregnancy and that radiation detriment to the fetus includes risk of mental retardation with a possible threshold in the dose response relationship around 100 mGy for the gestational period. The ICRP principle of as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) was recommended for protection of occupation upon the linear no-threshold dose response hypothesis for cancer induction. We suggest this ALARA principle be applied to the fetus and testicle in therapeutic treatment. Radiation dose outside a photon treatment filed is mostly due to scattered photons. This scattered dose is a function of the distance from the beam edge, treatment geometry, primary photon energy, and depth in the patient. The need for effective shielding of the fetus and testicle is reinforced when young patients ate treated with external beam radiation therapy and then shielding designed to reduce the scattered photon dose to normal organs have to considered. Irradiation was performed in phantom using high energy photon beams produced by a Varian 2100C/D medical linear accelerator (Varian Oncology Systems, Palo Alto, CA) located at the Yonsei Cancer Center. The composite phantom used was comprised of a commercially available anthropomorphic Rando phantom (Phantom Laboratory Inc., Salem, YN) and a rectangular solid polystyrene phantom of dimensions $30cm{\times}30cm{\times}20cm$. the anthropomorphic Rando phantom represents an average man made from tissue equivalent materials that is transected into transverse 36 slices of 2.5cm thickness. Photon dose was measured using a Capintec PR-06C ionization chamber with Capintec 192 electrometer (Capintec Inc., Ramsey, NJ), TLD( VICTOREEN 5000. LiF) and film dosimetry V-Omat, Kodak). In case of fetus, the dosimeter was placed at a depth of loom in this phantom at 100cm source to axis distance and located centrally 15cm from the inferior edge of the $30cm{\times}30cm^2$ x-ray beam irradiating the Rando phantom chest wall. A acryl bridge of size $40cm{\times}40cm^2$ and a clear space of about 20 cm was fabricated and placed on top of the rectangular polystyrene phantom representing the abdomen of the patient. The leaf pot for testicle shielding was made as various shape, sizes, thickness and supporting stand. The scattered photon with and without shielding were measured at the representative position of the fetus and testicle. Measurement of radiation scattered dose outside fields and critical organs, like fetus position and testicle region, from chest or pelvic irradiation by large fie]d of high energy radiation beam was performed using an ionization chamber and film dosimetry. The scattered doses outside field were measured 5 - 10% of maximum doses in fields and exponentially decrease from field margins. The scattered photon dose received the fetus and testicle from thorax field irradiation was measured about 1 mGy/Gy of photon treatment dose. Shielding construction to reduce this scattered dose was investigated using lead sheet and blocks. Lead pot shield for testicle reduced the scatter dose under 10 mGy when photon beam of 60 Gy was irradiated in abdomen region. The scattered photon dose is reduced when the lead shield was used while the no significant reduction of scattered photon dose was observed and 2-3 mm lead sheets refuted the skin dose under 80% and almost electron contamination. The results indicate that it was possible to improve shielding to reduce scattered photon for fetus and testicle when a young patients were treated with a high energy photon beam.

The Atmospheric Factors Affecting User's Satisfaction in Natural Parks (자연공원의 분위기가 이용자의 만족도에 미치는 영향 - 국립공원과 도립공원을 대상으로 -)

  • 장병문;배민기
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.29-43
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    • 2002
  • The purpose of this paper is to examine atmospherical factors affecting user's satisfaction in natural park to answer the research question: what are the effects of atmosphere on user's satisfaction in natural parks(NP). After reviewing the literature, mechanism of NP, and use elements in NP, We constructed the conceptual framework and have formulated the hypothesis of this research. We had obtained data through a questionnaire, which surveyed 508 visitors at 6 of the 73 NP in Korea in 2001, based on stratified sampling method. We have analyzed the data using descriptive statistical methods, the mean difference test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and the multiple linear regression method. We found that 1) the five atmospheric variables, j.e., number of users(NOU), crowding, damage to park resources(DPR), and maintenance of park resources and facilities(MPRF), encounter level(EL) affecting user's satisfaction, have tuned out to be statistically significant at a five percent level. The direction of the relationship between user's satisfaction and MPRF, NOU, EL is the same as that of the dependent variable and the opposite of crowding, and BPR, 2) in bivariate analysis, the positive relationships between user's satisfaction and park resources, MPRF are fairly high and statistically significant. The higher the value of DPR, and crowing, the lower the degree of user's satisfaction, 3) in multivariate analysis, such variables as NOU, crowding, DPR, EL, and MPRF affecting user's satisfaction have been statistically significant at five percent level, and 4) the relative contribution of MPRF, park resources, park facilities, NOU, crowding, DPR, and size of activity space on user's satisfaction have been determined to have respectively 6.00, 4.78, 2.53, 1.83, 1.64, 1.59 and 2.03 times more important than that of EL. Among the atmospheric variables, MPRF is the most important at 1.26 times higher than that of park resources. The research results suggest that the development of devices for the increase in user's satisfaction and user management program based on the knowledge we have found, be recommended in the planning and development process of natural park. The approach adopted by this research is valid and useful for evaluation criteria of NP. It is recommended that more empirical studies by activity types, activity spaces, and seasons on atmospheric elements affecting user's satisfaction be performed in the future.

Impact of Trust and Asset Specificity between Partner Firms on IJV Performance: A Quadratic Model Investigation of IJVs in Korea (합작파트너 간 신뢰와 자산특이성이 국제합작투자기업의 경영성과에 미치는 영향: 비선형적 모형을 중심으로)

  • Song, Yunah;Lee, Jae-Eun
    • International Commerce and Information Review
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.235-256
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    • 2017
  • This study is to analyse how trust and asset specificity among partner firms affect on performance of international joint venture(IJV). Especially, the analysis was mainly based on a quadratic model. While it assumes that the previous studies was based on linear model in the relationship between trust, asset specificity and the performance, this study proceeds a empirical analysis by setting up a hypothesis; it would be quadratic relationship between trust, asset specificity and performance which are based on social capital theory and transaction cost theory. The survey was held with 74 manufactures who were established as an IJV by Korean and foreign firms together. In the result of the empirical analysis, trust shows an inverted U-shaped relationship with IJV performance. Also, asset specificity shows the U-shaped relationship with IJV performance. The results suggest that it needs to control and maintain the trust level among the partners in order not to lose an appropriate control caused by too much trust. In order to minimize the cost generated by asset specificity and to transform it into positive impact, it needs a control and the operation of monitoring system on the opportunistic action of the partners. Furthermore, it needs to keep organizational flexibility and innovativeness to continuously develop new capabilities.

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A Time-Series Study of Ambient Air Pollution in Relation to Daily Mortality in Seoul, 1998∼2001 (서울시 대기오염과 일별 사망의 상관성에 관한 시계열적 연구 (1998∼2001년))

  • Cho, Yong-Sung;Lee, Jong-Tae;Kim, Yoon-Sin;Hong, Seung-Cheol;Kim, Ho;Ha, Eun-Hee;Park, Hye-Sook;Lee, Bo-Eun
    • Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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    • v.19 no.6
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    • pp.625-637
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    • 2003
  • This study was performed to examine the relationship between air pollution exposure and mortality in Seoul for the years of 1998∼2001. Daily counts of death were analyzed by general additive Poisson model, with adjustment for effects of seasonal trend, air temperature, humidity, and day of the week as confounders in a nonparametric approach. Daily death counts were associated with CO (current day),O$_3$ (current day), PM$_{10}$ (current day), NO$_2$ (1 day before), SO$_2$ (1 day before). Increase of 41.71 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ (interquartile range) in PM$_{10}$ was associated with 1.3% (95% CI = 0.7∼1.9%) increase in the daily number of death. $O_3$ concentrations resulted in an increased risk of 1.3% for 23.86 ppb in all-aged mortality [RR = 1.013 (1.004-1.023)1. This effect was greater in children (less than 15 aged) and elderly (more than 65 aged). After ozone level exceeds 25 ppb, the dose-response relationship between mortality and ozone was almost linear. We concluded that Seoul had 1∼5% increase in mortality in association with IQR (interquartile range) in air pollutants. Daily variations in air pollution within the range currently occurring in Seoul might have an adverse effect on daily mortality. These findings also support the hypothesis that air pollution, at levels below the current ambient air quality standards of Korea, is harmful to sensitive subjects, such as children or elderly.rly.

Evaluations and Comparisons of Body Surface Doses during Breast Cancer Treatment by Tomotherapy and LINAC Radiotherapy Devices

  • Lee, Hyun-Jik;Bae, Sun-Hyun;Cho, Kwang Hwan;Jeong, Jae-Hong;Kwon, Su-Il;Lee, Kil-Dong
    • Progress in Medical Physics
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.218-225
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    • 2017
  • Effects on skin caused by the dose from linear accelerator (LINAC) opposing portal irradiation and TomoDirect 3-D modeling treatment according to the radiation devices and treatment methods were measured, and a comparative analysis was performed. Two groups of 10 patients each were created and measurements were carried out using an optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter. These patients were already receiving radiation treatment in the hospital. Using the SPSS statistical program, the minimum and maximum average standard deviations of the measured skin dose data were obtained. Two types of treatment method were selected as independent variables; the measured points and total average were the dependent variables. An independent sample T-test was used, and it was checked whether there was a significance probability between the two groups. The average of the measured results for the LINAC opposing portal radiation was 117.7 cGy and PDD 65.39% for the inner breast, 144.7 cGy and PDD 80.39% for the outer breast, 143.2 cGy and PDD 79.56% for the upper breast, 151.4 cGy and PDD 84.11% for the lower breast, 149.6 cGy and PDD 83.11% for the axilla, and 141.32 cGy and PDD 78.51% for the total average. In contrast, for TomoDirect 3-D conformal radiotherapy, the corresponding measurement values were 137.6 cGy and PDD 76.44%, 152.3 cGy and PDD 84.61%, 148.6 cGy and PDD 82.56%, 159.7 cGy and PDD 88.72%, and 148.6 cGy PDD 82.56%, respectively, and the total average was 149.36 cGy and PDD 82.98%. To determine if the difference between the total averages was statistically significant, the independent sample T-test of the SPSS statistical program was used, which indicated that the P-value was P=0.024, which was 0.05 lower than the significance level. Thus, it can be understood that the null hypothesis can be dismissed, and that there was a difference in the averages. In conclusion, even though the treatment dose was similar, there could be a difference in the dose entering the body surface from the radiation treatment plan; however, depending on the properties of the treatment devices, there is a difference in the dose affecting the body surface. Thus, the absorbed dose entering the body surface can be high. During breast cancer radiotherapy, radiation dermatitis occurs in almost all patients. Most patients have a difficult time while undergoing treatment, and therefore, when choosing a radiotherapy treatment method, minimizing radiation dermatitis is an important consideration.

Quantitative Flood Forecasting Using Remotely-Sensed Data and Neural Networks

  • Kim, Gwangseob
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2002.05a
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    • pp.43-50
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    • 2002
  • Accurate quantitative forecasting of rainfall for basins with a short response time is essential to predict streamflow and flash floods. Previously, neural networks were used to develop a Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (QPF) model that highly improved forecasting skill at specific locations in Pennsylvania, using both Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) output and rainfall and radiosonde data. The objective of this study was to improve an existing artificial neural network model and incorporate the evolving structure and frequency of intense weather systems in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States for improved flood forecasting. Besides using radiosonde and rainfall data, the model also used the satellite-derived characteristics of storm systems such as tropical cyclones, mesoscale convective complex systems and convective cloud clusters as input. The convective classification and tracking system (CCATS) was used to identify and quantify storm properties such as life time, area, eccentricity, and track. As in standard expert prediction systems, the fundamental structure of the neural network model was learned from the hydroclimatology of the relationships between weather system, rainfall production and streamflow response in the study area. The new Quantitative Flood Forecasting (QFF) model was applied to predict streamflow peaks with lead-times of 18 and 24 hours over a five year period in 4 watersheds on the leeward side of the Appalachian mountains in the mid-Atlantic region. Threat scores consistently above .6 and close to 0.8 ∼ 0.9 were obtained fur 18 hour lead-time forecasts, and skill scores of at least 4% and up to 6% were attained for the 24 hour lead-time forecasts. This work demonstrates that multisensor data cast into an expert information system such as neural networks, if built upon scientific understanding of regional hydrometeorology, can lead to significant gains in the forecast skill of extreme rainfall and associated floods. In particular, this study validates our hypothesis that accurate and extended flood forecast lead-times can be attained by taking into consideration the synoptic evolution of atmospheric conditions extracted from the analysis of large-area remotely sensed imagery While physically-based numerical weather prediction and river routing models cannot accurately depict complex natural non-linear processes, and thus have difficulty in simulating extreme events such as heavy rainfall and floods, data-driven approaches should be viewed as a strong alternative in operational hydrology. This is especially more pertinent at a time when the diversity of sensors in satellites and ground-based operational weather monitoring systems provide large volumes of data on a real-time basis.

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Intra-ethical Characteristics Occupational Factors Impact on Business Competitiveness (Focused on Types of Construction Work) (기업내 직종별 윤리적 특성요인이 기업경쟁력에 미치는 영향(건설 직종을 중심으로))

  • Kim, Dong-Uk;Jeon, In-Oh
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.335-351
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    • 2012
  • This study is an empirical analysis completed based on a survey of the members of major construction companies and is analyzed to verify the relationship between the ethical characteristics of major construction companies and firm's competitiveness and its effects. In this study, based on previous researches in domestic and foreign, the factors that are affected by the business ethics were analyzed, and the competitiveness of firms, which is a dependant variable, was divided into four different types: quality, price, sales, and promotion. The proposal and final conclusion regarding the relationship between job satisfaction and concentration was made after the investigation of research hypothesis. The conclusions described below:(By the Linear regression analysis) 1. The product competitiveness is affected by moral competence, will to act ethical management, transparency of fairness, customers, and social responsibility. 2. The price competitiveness is affected by will to act ethical management, transparency of fairness, customers, and social responsibility.

Effects of Amount of Concentrate Supplement on Forage Intake, Diet Digestibility and Live Weight Gain in Yellow Cattle in Vietnam

  • Ba, Nguyen Xuan;Van Huu, Nguyen;Ngoan, Le Duc;Leddin, Clare M.;Doyle, Peter T.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.21 no.12
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    • pp.1736-1744
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    • 2008
  • Two experiments were conducted in central Vietnam to test the hypothesis that supplementation with a concentrate, comprising rice bran (45% fresh basis), maize (49%), fish meal (3%), urea (2%) and salt (1%), up to 2% of live weight (LW)/d (dry matter (DM) basis) would linearly increase digestible organic matter intake and LW gain of yellow cattle. In both experiments, there were five treatments, namely a basal diet of fresh grass fed at 1.25% of LW (experiment 1, elephant grass, Pennisetum purpureum; experiment 2, native grass) and rice straw (Oryza sativa) fed ad libitum or this diet supplemented with concentrate at about 0.3, 0.7, 1.3 or 2.0% LW. There were 4 male growing cattle per treatment in experiment 1 and 3 in experiment 2. Diets were fed for 44 (experiment 1) or 49 (experiment 2) days, with feed intake recorded daily, LW measured about weekly and digestibility measurements made over 7 days commencing on day 24 (experiment 1) or day 10 (experiment 2). The elephant grass and native grass had neutral detergent fibre (NDF) concentrations of 82 and 73% DM, and nitrogen concentrations of 1.3 and 1.8% DM, respectively. The rice straw used had a NDF concentration of 79-84% DM and nitrogen concentration of 0.8% DM. The concentrate had NDF and nitrogen concentrations of 33 and 2.8% DM. In both experiments, DM intake increased (p<0.001) linearly as the amount of concentrate consumed increased. Rice straw intake declined (p<0.001) (experiment 1: 1.24 to 0.48 kg DM/d; experiment 2: 0.95 to 0.50 kg DM/d) as concentrate intake increased. Grass intake was not significantly affected by concentrate intake in either experiment. The lowest amount of concentrate supplement increased forage intake, after which substitution rate increased as the amount of concentrate consumed increased. However, substitution rates at the highest amount of concentrate consumed were modest at 0.3 to 0.5 kg DM reduction in forage intake/kg DM supplement consumed. In both experiments, digestible organic matter intake increased linearly (p<0.001) (experiment 1: 1.16 to 2.38 kg/d; experiment 2: 1.30 to 2.49 kg/d) as the amount of supplement consumed increased, as did LW gain (experiment 1: 0.15 to 0.81 kg/d; experiment 2: 0.15 to 0.77 kg/d). This was associated with significant (p<0.01) linear increases in organic matter intake and apparent organic matter digestibility. Neutral detergent fibre digestibility declined as concentrate intake increased, but the effect was not significant (p = 0.051) in experiment 2. These results are discussed in relation to existing literature and potential to improve the profitability of cattle fattening in central Vietnam.

Gas/particle Partitioning of PAHs Segregated with Particle Size in Equilibrium States (대기 중 PAHs의 입경별 가스/입자 분배평형에 관한 연구)

  • Park, Jin-Soo;Lee, Dong-Soo;Kim, Jong-Guk
    • Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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    • v.27 no.12
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    • pp.1270-1276
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    • 2005
  • When gas/particle partitioning of PAHs in the atmosphere approached an equilibrium state, the slope of linear regression between gas/particle partitioning coefficient($logK_p$) and subcooled liquid vapour pressure($logP_L^O$) was -1. But it was alleged that the slope of equilibrium state might not be -1 in real atmospheric environment due to heterogeneous characteristics of particulate matter. In This study, it would be found if gas/particle partitioning of PAHs segregated with particle size in equilibrium state was based on the hypothesis mentioned above. We have calculated the slopes of $logK_p$ v.s. $logP_L^O$ after collecting 10 set samples which consisted of particulate and vaporous phases. The slope was close to -1 in equilibrium states. But despite of equilibrium state, all slopes segregated with particle size were not close to -1 and those were gentler with larger particle size. The difference of slopes in equilibrium states was almost against the assumption of gas/particle partitioning theory. When the gas/particle partitioning was due to adsorption, the desorption enthalpy was different in each particle size. When it was absorption, the activity coefficient was different. The difference of desorption enthalpy and activity coefficient in each particle size indicate the heterogeneous characteristics of the bulk particle. This may be the reason for slope variation with particle size even though in an equilibrium state.

An Empirical Test of the Dynamic Optimality Condition for Exhaustible Resources -An Input Distance Function- (투입물거리함수를 통한 고갈자원의 동태적 최적이용 여부 검증)

  • Lee, Myunghun
    • Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.673-692
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    • 2006
  • In order to test for the dynamic optimality condition for the use of nonrenewable resource, it is necessary to estimate the shadow value of the resource in situ. In the previous literatures, a time series for in situ price has been derived either as the difference between marginal revenue and marginal cost or by differentiating with respect to the quantity of ore extracted the restricted cost function in which the quantity of ore is quasi-fixed. However, not only inconsistent estimates are likely to be generated due to the nonmalleability of capital, but the estimate of marginal revenue will be affected by market power. Since firms will likely fail to minimize the cost of the reproducible inputs subject to market prices under realistic circumstances where imperfect factor markets, strikes, or government regulations are present, the shadow in situ values obtained by estimating the restricted cost function can be biased. This paper provides a valid methodology for checking the dynamic optimality condition for a nonrenewable resource by using the input distance function. Our methodology has some advantages over previous ones: only data on quantities of inputs and outputs are required; nor is the maintained hypothesis of cost minimization required; adoption of linear programming enables us to circumvent autocorrelated errors problem caused by use of time series or panel data. The dynamic optimality condition for domestic coal mining does not hold for constant discount rates ranging from 2 to 20 percent over the period 1970~1993. The dynamic optimality condition also does not hold for variable rates ranging from fourth to four times the real interest rate.

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