• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.151-171
• /
• 2014

Firms today have sought management effectiveness and efficiency utilizing information technologies (IT). Numerous firms are outsourcing specific information systems functions to cope with their short of information resources or IT experts, or to reduce their capital cost. Recently, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) as a new type of information system has become one of the powerful outsourcing alternatives. SaaS is software deployed as a hosted and accessed over the internet. It is regarded as the idea of on-demand, pay-per-use, and utility computing and is now being applied to support the core competencies of clients in areas ranging from the individual productivity area to the vertical industry and e-commerce area. In this study, therefore, we seek to quantify the value that SaaS has on business performance by examining the relationships among firm strategies, SaaS technology maturity, and business performance of SaaS providers. We begin by drawing from prior literature on SaaS, technology maturity and firm strategy. SaaS technology maturity is classified into three different phases such as application service providing (ASP), Web-native application, and Web-service application. Firm strategies are manipulated by the low-cost strategy and differentiation strategy. Finally, we considered customer acquisition as a business performance. In this sense, specific objectives of this study are as follows. First, we examine the relationships between customer acquisition performance and both low-cost strategy and differentiation strategy of SaaS providers. Secondly, we investigate the mediating and moderating effects of SaaS technology maturity on those relationships. For this purpose, study collects data from the SaaS providers, and their line of applications registered in the database in CNK (Commerce net Korea) in Korea using a questionnaire method by the professional research institution. The unit of analysis in this study is the SBUs (strategic business unit) in the software provider. A total of 199 SBUs is used for analyzing and testing our hypotheses. With regards to the measurement of firm strategy, we take three measurement items for differentiation strategy such as the application uniqueness (referring an application aims to differentiate within just one or a small number of target industry), supply channel diversification (regarding whether SaaS vendor had diversified supply chain) as well as the number of specialized expertise and take two items for low cost strategy like subscription fee and initial set-up fee. We employ a hierarchical regression analysis technique for testing moderation effects of SaaS technology maturity and follow the Baron and Kenny's procedure for determining if firm strategies affect customer acquisition through technology maturity. Empirical results revealed that, firstly, when differentiation strategy is applied to attain business performance like customer acquisition, the effects of the strategy is moderated by the technology maturity level of SaaS providers. In other words, securing higher level of SaaS technology maturity is essential for higher business performance. For instance, given that firms implement application uniqueness or a distribution channel diversification as a differentiation strategy, they can acquire more customers when their level of SaaS technology maturity is higher rather than lower. Secondly, results indicate that pursuing differentiation strategy or low cost strategy effectively works for SaaS providers' obtaining customer, which means that continuously differentiating their service from others or making their service fee (subscription fee or initial set-up fee) lower are helpful for their business success in terms of acquiring their customers. Lastly, results show that the level of SaaS technology maturity mediates the relationships between low cost strategy and customer acquisition. That is, based on our research design, customers usually perceive the real value of the low subscription fee or initial set-up fee only through the SaaS service provide by vender and, in turn, this will affect their decision making whether subscribe or not.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.29-52
• /
• 2012

Consumers differ in the way they make a purchase. An audio mania would willingly make a bold, yet serious, decision to buy a top-of-the-line home theater system, while he is not interested in replacing his two-decade-old shabby car. On the contrary, an automobile enthusiast wouldn't mind spending forty thousand dollars to buy a new Jaguar convertible, yet cares little about his junky component system. It is product involvement that helps us explain such differences among individuals in the purchase style. Product involvement refers to the extent to which a product is perceived to be important to a consumer (Zaichkowsky, 2001). Product involvement is an important factor that strongly influences consumer's purchase decision-making process, and thus has been of prime interest to consumer behavior researchers. Furthermore, researchers found that involvement is closely related to perceived risk (Dholakia, 2001). While abundant research exists addressing how product involvement relates to overall perceived risk, little attention has been paid to the relationship between involvement and different types of perceived risk in an electronic commerce setting. Given that perceived risk can be a substantial barrier to the online purchase (Jarvenpaa, 2000), research addressing such an issue will offer useful implications on what specific types of perceived risk an online firm should focus on mitigating if it is to increase sales to a fullest potential. Meanwhile, past research has focused on such consumer responses as information search and dissemination as a consequence of involvement, neglecting other behavioral responses like online merchant selection. For one example, will a consumer seriously considering the purchase of a pricey Guzzi bag perceive a great degree of risk associated with online buying and therefore choose to buy it from a digital storefront rather than from an online marketplace to mitigate risk? Will a consumer require greater trust on the part of the online merchant when the perceived risk of online buying is rather high? We intend to find answers to these research questions through an empirical study. This paper explores the impact of enduring product involvement and perceived risks on required trust level, and further on online merchant choice. For the purpose of the research, five types or components of perceived risk are taken into consideration, including financial, performance, delivery, psychological, and social risks. A research model has been built around the constructs under consideration, and 12 hypotheses have been developed based on the research model to examine the relationships between enduring involvement and five components of perceived risk, between five components of perceived risk and required trust level, between enduring involvement and required trust level, and finally between required trust level and preference toward an e-tailer. To attain our research objectives, we conducted an empirical analysis consisting of two phases of data collection: a pilot test and main survey. The pilot test was conducted using 25 college students to ensure that the questionnaire items are clear and straightforward. Then the main survey was conducted using 295 college students at a major university for nine days between December 13, 2010 and December 21, 2010. The measures employed to test the model included eight constructs: (1) enduring involvement, (2) financial risk, (3) performance risk, (4) delivery risk, (5) psychological risk, (6) social risk, (7) required trust level, (8) preference toward an e-tailer. The statistical package, SPSS 17.0, was used to test the internal consistency among the items within the individual measures. Based on the Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ coefficients of the individual measure, the reliability of all the variables is supported. Meanwhile, the Amos 18.0 package was employed to perform a confirmatory factor analysis designed to assess the unidimensionality of the measures. The goodness of fit for the measurement model was satisfied. Unidimensionality was tested using convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. The statistical evidences proved that the three types of validity were all satisfied. Now the structured equation modeling technique was used to analyze the individual paths along the relationships among the research constructs. The results indicated that enduring involvement has significant positive relationships with all the five components of perceived risk, while only performance risk is significantly related to trust level required by consumers for purchase. It can be inferred from the findings that product performance problems are mostly likely to occur when a merchant behaves in an opportunistic manner. Positive relationships were also found between involvement and required trust level and between required trust level and online merchant choice. Enduring involvement is concerned with the pleasure a consumer derives from a product class and/or with the desire for knowledge for the product class, and thus is likely to motivate the consumer to look for ways of mitigating perceived risk by requiring a higher level of trust on the part of the online merchant. Likewise, a consumer requiring a high level of trust on the merchant will choose a digital storefront rather than an e-marketplace, since a digital storefront is believed to be trustworthier than an e-marketplace, as it fulfills orders by itself rather than acting as an intermediary. The findings of the present research provide both academic and practical implications. The first academic implication is that enduring product involvement is a strong motivator of consumer responses, especially the selection of a merchant, in the context of electronic shopping. Secondly, academicians are advised to pay attention to the finding that an individual component or type of perceived risk can be used as an important research construct, since it would allow one to pinpoint the specific types of risk that are influenced by antecedents or that influence consequents. Meanwhile, our research provides implications useful for online merchants (both online storefronts and e-marketplaces). Merchants may develop strategies to attract consumers by managing perceived performance risk involved in purchase decisions, since it was found to have significant positive relationship with the level of trust required by a consumer on the part of the merchant. One way to manage performance risk would be to thoroughly examine the product before shipping to ensure that it has no deficiencies or flaws. Secondly, digital storefronts are advised to focus on symbolic goods (e.g., cars, cell phones, fashion outfits, and handbags) in which consumers are relatively more involved than others, whereas e- marketplaces should put their emphasis on non-symbolic goods (e.g., drinks, books, MP3 players, and bike accessories).

• Journal of Distribution Research
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.65-93
• /
• 2011

As relationship between buyer and seller has been brought closer and long-term relationship has been more important in B2B markets, the importance of service and service convenience increases as well as product. In homogeneous markets, where service offerings are similar and therefore not key competitive differentiator, providing greater convenience may enable a competitive advantage. Service convenience, as conceptualized by Berry et al. (2002), is defined as the consumers' time and effort perceptions related to buying or using a service. For this reason, B2B customers are interested in how fast the service is provided and how much save non-monetary cost like time or effort by the service convenience along with service quality. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the impact of service convenience on relationship factors such as relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship performance. The purpose of this study is to find out whether service convenience can be a new antecedent of relationship quality and relationship performance. In addition, this study tries to examine how five-dimensional service convenience constructs (decision convenience, access convenience, transaction convenience, benefit convenience, post-benefit convenience) affect customers' relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship performance. The service convenience comprises five fundamental components - decision convenience (the perceived time and effort costs associated with service purchase or use decisions), access convenience(the perceived time and effort costs associated with initiating service delivery), transaction convenience(the perceived time and effort costs associated with finalizing the transaction), benefit convenience(the perceived time and effort costs associated with experiencing the core benefits of the offering) and post-benefit convenience (the perceived time and effort costs associated with reestablishing subsequent contact with the firm). Earlier studies of perceived service convenience in the industrial market are none. The conventional studies that have dealt with service convenience have usually been made in the consumer market, or they have dealt with convenience aspects in the service process. This service convenience measure for consumer market can be useful tool to estimate service quality in B2B market. The conceptualization developed by Berry et al. (2002) reflects a multistage, experiential consumption process in which evaluations of convenience vary at each stage. For this reason, the service convenience measure is good for B2B service environment which has complex processes and various types. Especially when categorizing B2B service as sequential stage of service delivery like Kumar and Kumar (2004), the Berry's service convenience measure which reflect sequential flow of service deliveries suitable to establish B2B service convenience. For this study, data were gathered from respondents who often buy business service and analyzed by structural equation modeling. The sample size in the present study is 119. Composite reliability values and average variance extracted values were examined for each variable to have reliability. We determine whether the measurement model supports the convergent validity by CFA, and discriminant validity was assessed by examining the correlation matrix of the constructs. For each pair of constructs, the square root of the average variance extracted exceeded their correlations, thus supporting the discriminant validity of the constructs. Hypotheses were tested using the Smart PLS 2.0 and we calculated the PLS path values and followed with a bootstrap re-sampling method to test the hypotheses. Among the five dimensional service convenience constructs, four constructs (decision convenience, transaction convenience, benefit convenience, post-benefit convenience) affected customers' positive relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and relationship performance. This result means that service convenience is important cue to improve relationship between buyer and seller. One of the five service convenience dimensions, access convenience, does not affect relationship quality and performance, which implies that the dimension of service convenience is not important factor of cumulative satisfaction. The Cumulative satisfaction can be distinguished from transaction-specific customer satisfaction, which is an immediate post-purchase evaluative judgment or an affective reaction to the most recent transactional experience with the firm. Because access convenience minimizes the physical effort associated with initiating an exchange, the effect on relationship satisfaction similar to cumulative satisfaction may be relatively low in terms of importance than transaction-specific customer satisfaction. Also, B2B firms focus on service quality, price, benefit, follow-up service and so on than convenience of time or place in service because it is relatively difficult to change existing transaction partners in B2B market compared to consumer market. In addition, this study using partial least squares methods reveals that customers' satisfaction and commitment toward relationship has mediating role between the service convenience and relationship performance. The result shows that management and investment to improve service convenience make customers' positive relationship satisfaction, and then the positive relationship satisfaction can enhance the relationship commitment and relationship performance. And to conclude, service convenience management is an important part of successful relationship performance management, and the service convenience is an important antecedent of relationship between buyer and seller such as the relationship commitment and relationship performance. Therefore, it has more important to improve relationship performance that service providers enhance service convenience although competitive service development or service quality improvement is important. Given the pressure to provide increased convenience, it is not surprising that organizations have made significant investments in enhancing the convenience aspect of their product and service offering.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.37-43
• /
• 1980

This study have done to get the basical information that would be useful to make the ecological planting, selection of suitable species and weeding plan by the relation between the leading shoot elongation of several species and the climatic factors in the plantation. Sampling measurement have been done in the trial forest of Korean German Forest Management Project located in Joil-ri, Samnam-myeon and Ichcon-ri, Sangbug-myeon, Ulju-gun. The former is in lowland at 100m latidude and the latter is in highland of 600 m latitude. The elongation of leading shoot has been measured in the plantation with 10 days interval from the beginning of March in 1979 and the climatic datas has gotten in the weather station closed to the plantation. 1. The change of air temperature and rainfall in each measuring site is like Fig 1. and 2. The similar temperature in 600 m high latitude is coming about 10 days latter than 100 m latitude. 2. Genus pine as Pinus thunbergii, P. rigida, P. rigitaeda. P. koraiensis and P. taeda begin their leading shoot growth during March and air temperature in that time is around $6^{\circ}C$. In highland their beginning of leading shoot elongation has been found out 10 days latter than lowland. However Abies, Larix and Picea has shown to open their leading shoot during May, 40 days late in comparing with genus pine, and then temperature is making around $15^{\circ}C$. But Cryptomeria, Chamaecyparis and Cedrus deodora has shown their leading shoot opening in March in lowland and May in high land. The reason of late opening, specially in highland, seems to be the influence of winter frost. 3. Most of leading shoot elongation of genus pine has finished during the end 10 days of April and May under range of air temperate $10^{\circ}C$ and $20^{\circ}C$ and other species has finished most of their elongation during the end 10 days of May and June with air temperature range of $18^{\circ}C$ to $20^{\circ}C$. So the suitable season of weeding works show to genus pine in May and other species in June. 4. The leading shoot growth of genus pine has started earlier and closed earlier too than other species and, when over than $20^{\circ}C$ air temperature, their growth is decreasing quickly. Pices abies as well show to be decreased suddenly in over than $20^{\circ}C$ temperature. Other species show the similar trend when over than $22^{\circ}C$. This reason is considered as high temperature of summer season. 5. Annual elongated days of leading shoot of Picea abies is 50 days, Abies hollophylla 70 days, and more than 85 percentage of shoot growth of Pinus koraiensis and Larix leptolepsis are growing during 70 dys as well. The shoot growing days of Chamaecyparis, P. rigida, P. rigitaeda, P. taeda and P. shunbergii show longer period as over than 120 days. 6. The shoot elongation times per year of Abies and Picea has closed as one times and Genus pine is continuring their elongation more than two times. But Cryptomeria, Chamaecyparis, Cedrus deodora and Larix show one or two times elongation depending on the measuring site. The reason of continuring elongation more than than two times seems to be influenced by the temperature in summer season except the genetical reason. 7. Depending on the above results, as the high temperature in summer season could give the influence to grow the leading shoot in the plantation, this would be the considering point on the ecological planting and selection of the suitable species to the slope aspect. The elongation pattern by the season show to be the considering point too to decide the the weeding and fertilizer dressing time by the species.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.181-187
• /
• 2008

Purpose : Asthma is characterized by reversible airway obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness result from airway inflammation. Fraction of nitric oxide in expired air (FeNO) has recently been investigated as a noninvasive measure of airway inflammation. FeNO has been reported to correlate with induced sputum eosinophilia and methacholine challenge test that it is represent severity of asthma. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship of FeNO with pulmonary function tests in patients with intermittent asthma. Methods : Eighty children included in this study were diagnosed as asthma from April through August, 2005 in Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kyunghee University. They aged from 4 to 15 years who were able to conduct spirometry and FeNO monitoring. They did not have upper respiratory tract infection and did not use an asthma controller which contain corticosteroids within 4 weeks. Pulmonary function test was done and FeNO was measured with online tidal breathing method using a chemiluminescence NO analyzer (CLD 88 sp, Eco Medics, Duernten, Switzerland). The correlations between pulmonary function test and FeNO were analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficient method. Results : The mean of FeNO of subject was 16.88 parts per billion (ppb). The mean of forced expiratory volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$) was $0.890{\pm}0.455L$ and forced vital capacity (FVC) was $1.071{\pm}0.630L$. The mean of predicted $FEV_1%$ ($FEV_1%pred$) was $98.39{\pm}34.27%$ and $FEV_1/FVC$ was $88.53{\pm}19.49$. FeNO was significantly correlate with $FEV_1$ (r=0.345, P<0.01) and FVC (r=0.244, P<0.05). FeNO did not correlate with $FEV_1%pred$ or $FEV_1/FVC$. Conclusion : The measurement of FeNO could be a useful marker in the management of childhood asthma and it is evolving to provide a complementary role alongside existing pulmonary function test. We propose that measuring technique and establishment of normal reference range are important area for future research.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.199-206
• /
• 2014

Purpose : According to the rapid increase recently in image-guided radiation therapy, It is necessary to control of the image guidance system completely. In particular for the main subject to the accuracy of image guided radiation therapy device to be done essentially the quality assurance. We made efficient phantom in AMC for the management of the accurate and efficient. Materials and Methods : By setting up of five very important as a quality assurance inventory of the Image guidance system, we made (AMC G-Box) phantom for quality assurance efficient and accurate. Quality assurance list were the Iso-center align, the real measurement, the center align of four direction, the accuracy of table movement and the reproducibility of Hounsfield Unit. The rectangular phantom; acrylic with a thickness of 1 cm to $10cm{\time}10cm{\time}10cm$ was inserted the three materials with different densities respectively for measure the CBCT HU. The phantom was to perform a check of consistency centered by creating a marker that indicates the position of the center fixed. By performing the quality assurance using the phantom of existing, comparing the resulting value to the different resulting value using the AMC G-Box, experiment was analyzed time and problems. Therapy equipment was used Varian device. It was measured twice at 1-week intervals. Results : When implemented quality assurance of an image guidance system using AMC G-Box and a phantom existing has been completed, the quality assurance result is similar in $0.2mm{\pm}0.1$. In the case of the conventional method, it was 45 minutes at 30 minutes. When using AMC G-Box, it takes 20 minutes 15 minutes, and declined to 50% of the time. Conclusion : The consistency and accurate of image guidance system tend to decline using device. Therefore, We need to perform thoroughly on the quality assurance related. It needs to be checked daily to consistency check especially. When using the AMC G-Box, It is possible to enhance the accuracy of the patient care and equipment efficiently performing accurate quality assurance.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.217-223
• /
• 2006

The purpose of this study is to provide improvements and standards of trial lens, in a situation that there is a lack of standards of trial lens set that have been used for self-conscious refraction test after helm refraction test at about 5,000 opticians, ophthalmologic clinics and hospitals, and contact-lens shops, that there is a lot of discrepancies between refraction specified and the actual power, and that there is no regulation of optical tolerance error. For the study, opticians who have used Trial lens set were asked to participate in a questionnaire survey through continuing education, and divided into those who have used domestic lens and those who have used imported lens, 5 opticians each for less than 5 years, 5 to 10 years, more than 10 years. The measurement of both refraction specified and the actual diopter was compared to Japan Industrial Standards(JIS T4402). As a result of comparative analysis, more than 80% of respondents have had reliability on the refraction of trial lens they had used, indicating that they have never measured the refraction specified and the actual diopter after buying them. Besides, Korean Industrial Standards(KS P4402) has been imperfect in diopter range since it was legislated in 1979. More than 95% of respondents have been unsatisfied with optometry. Also, it has indicated that refraction error is more frequent in long-term-used trial lens. The conclusion is that it is necessary to standardize trial lens set and that it is required to add lens to lens set provided under KS P4402. Moreover, it is necessary to have supervisory agency for a standardization of trial lens. I hope that both domestic lens and imported lens, as in German and Japan, will be tested to find whether they meet optical tolerance error and standard trial lens will be distributed. Good optic inspection is required for the improvement and management of eye health and optical function, and the same standard trial lens set should be used. whoever is tested. Also, I hope that trial lens set will be specified within standards and tolerance error.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.95-105
• /
• 2013

This study on circular identifying purposes was performed of Youngbeokji space located in Seongnagwon(Scenic Sites No.35). Through the data acquisition of 3D high precision, such as the surrounding terrain of the Youngbeokji. The results of this study is summarized like the following. First, the purpose of the stone structures and structure within the Youngbeokji search is an important clue to find that earlier era will be a prototype. 3D scan method of enforcement is searching the whole structure, including the surrounding terrain and having the easy way. Second, the measurement results are as follows. Department of bedrock surveyed from South to North was measured by 7,665mm. From East to West was measured at 7,326mm. The size of the stone structures, $1,665mm{\times}1,721mm$ in the form of a square. Its interior has a diameter of 1, 664mm of hemispherical form. In the lower portion of the rock masses in the South to the North, has fallen out of the $1,006mm{\times}328mm$ scale traces were discovered. Third, the Youngbeokji recorded in the internal terrain Multiresolution approach. After working with the scanner and scan using the scan data, broadband, to merge. Polygon Data conversion to process was conducted and mash as fine scan data are converted to process data. High resolution photos obtained through the creation of 3D terrain data overlap and the final result. Fourthly, as a result of this action, stone structure West of the waterway back outgoing times oil was confirmed. Bangjiwondo is estimated to be seokji of structure hydroponic facility confirmed will artificially carved in the bedrock. As a result of this and the previous situation of the 1960s could compare data was created. This study provides 3D precision ordnance through the acquisition of the data. Excavations at the circle was able to preserve in perpetuity as digital data. In the future, this data is welcome to take a wide variety of professionals. This is the purpose of this is to establish foundations and conservation management measures will be used. In addition, The new ease of how future research and 3D scan unveiled in the garden has been used in the study expect.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.293-305
• /
• 2016

Objective: This study aims to measure cognitive load levels by analyzing the EEG of Koreans and foreigners, when they read a Korean text with care selected by level from the grammar and vocabulary aspects, and compare the cognitive load levels through quantitative values. The study results can be utilized as basic data for more scientific approach, when Korean texts or books are developed, and an evaluation method is built, when the foreigners encounter them for learning or an assignment. Background: Based on 2014, the number of the foreign students studying in Korea was 84,801, and they increase annually. Most of them are from Asian region, and they come to Korea to enter a university or a graduate school in Korea. Because those foreign students aim to learn within Universities in Korea, they receive Korean education from their preparation for study in Korea. To enter a university in Korea, they must acquire grade 4 or higher level in the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), or they need to complete a certain educational program at each university's affiliated language institution. In such a program, the learners of the Korean language receive Korean education based on texts, except speaking domain, and the comprehension of texts can determine their academic achievements in studying after they enter their desired schools (Jeon, 2004). However, many foreigners, who finish a language course for the short-term, and need to start university study, cannot properly catch up with university classes requiring expertise with the vocabulary and grammar levels learned during the language course. Therefore, reading education, centered on a strategy to understand university textbooks regarded as top level reading texts to the foreigners, is necessary (Kim and Shin, 2015). This study carried out an experiment from a perspective that quantitative data on the readers of the main player of reading education and teaching materials need to be secured to back up the need for reading education for university study learners, and scientifically approach educational design. Namely, this study grasped the difficulty level of reading through the measurement of cognitive loads indicated in the reading activity of each text by dividing the difficulty of a teaching material (book) into eight levels, and the main player of reading into Koreans and foreigners. Method: To identify cognitive loads indicated upon reading Korean texts with care by Koreans and foreigners, this study recruited 16 participants (eight Koreans and eight foreigners). The foreigners were limited to the language course students studying the intermediate level Korean course at university-affiliated language institutions within Seoul Metropolitan Area. To identify cognitive load, as they read a text by level selected from the Korean books (difficulty: eight levels) published by King Sejong Institute (Sejonghakdang.org), the EEG sensor was attached to the frontal love (Fz) and occipital lobe (Oz). After the experiment, this study carried out a questionnaire survey to measure subjective evaluation, and identified the comprehension and difficulty on grammar and words. To find out the effects on schema that may affect text comprehension, this study controlled the Korean texts, and measured EEG and subjective satisfaction. Results: To identify brain's cognitive load, beta band was extracted. As a result, interactions (Fz: p =0.48; Oz: p =0.00) were revealed according to Koreans and foreigners, and difficulty of the text. The cognitive loads of Koreans, the readers whose mother tongue is Korean, were lower in reading Korean texts than those of the foreigners, and the foreigners' cognitive loads became higher gradually according to the difficulty of the texts. From the text four, which is intermediate level in difficulty, remarkable differences started to appear in comparison of the Koreans and foreigners in the beginner's level text. In the subjective evaluation, interactions were revealed according to the Koreans and foreigners and text difficulty (p =0.00), and satisfaction was lower, as the difficulty of the text became higher. Conclusion: When there was background knowledge in reading, namely schema was formed, the comprehension and satisfaction of the texts were higher, although higher levels of vocabulary and grammar were included in the texts than those of the readers. In the case of a text in which the difficulty of grammar was felt high in the subjective evaluation, foreigners' cognitive loads were also high, which shows the result of the loads' going up higher in proportion to the increase of difficulty. This means that the grammar factor functions as a stress factor to the foreigners' reading comprehension. Application: This study quantitatively evaluated the cognitive loads of Koreans and foreigners through EEG, based on readers and the text difficulty, when they read Korean texts. The results of this study can be used for making Korean teaching materials or Korean education content and topic selection for foreigners. If research scope is expanded to reading process using an eye-tracker, the reading education program and evaluation method for foreigners can be developed on the basis of quantitative values.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.486-496
• /
• 2018

In this study, we have selected Larix kaempferi as a study area in Woraksan National Park for understanding the ion index according to the difference of topography in national parks. We measured the weather and ion at two fixed points, ridge and valley, where the Larix kaempferi dominates in the same ecological structure in Woraksan National Park. The weather measurement results showed the average, maximum, and minimum temperatures of $28.22^{\circ}C$, $29.9^{\circ}C$, and $26.4^{\circ}C$, respectively at the ridge. The average, maximum, and minimum temperatures at the valley were $27.08^{\circ}C$, $27.8^{\circ}C$, and $25.5^{\circ}C$, respectively. The average, maximum, and minimum relatively humidities at the ridge were 67.02%, 75.25%, and 61.95%, respectively. he average, maximum, and minimum relatively humidities at the valley were 69.74%, 76.8%, and 63.75%, respectively. The average, maximum, and minimum amounts of positive ions generated in the ridge was $698.40{\pm}59.80ea/cm^3$, $885.88ea/cm^3$, and $597.88ea/cm^3$, respectively. The average, maximum, and minimum amounts of negative ions generated in the ridge were $736.07{\pm}83.89ea/cm^3$, $934.53ea/cm^3$, and $599.32ea/cm^3$, respectively. The ion index is calculated to be 1.06. The average, maximum, and minimum amounts of positive ions generated in the valley were $1,732.49{\pm}354.08ea/cm^3$, $2,652.10ea/cm^3$, and $1,110.92ea/cm^3$, respectively. The average, maximum, and minimum amounts of negative ions generated in the valley were $1,990.47{\pm}433.57ea/cm^3$, $3,126.75ea/cm^3$, and the minimum value was $1,352.17ea/cm^3$. The ion index is calculated to be 1.16. The difference in the amount of negative ions generated in ridge and valley was $1089.26ea/cm^3$, and the difference of the calculated ion index between the ridge portion and the valley portion was 0.10. The results of this study were provided as the reference weather data of national parks for health management.