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The Prognostic Role of B-type Natriuretic Peptide in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (만성폐쇄성폐질환의 급성 악화시 예후 인자로서의 혈중 B-type Natriuretic Peptide의 역할)

  • Lee, Ji Hyun;Oh, So Yeon;Hwang, Iljun;Kim, Okjun;Kim, Hyun Kuk;Kim, Eun Kyung;Lee, Ji-Hyun
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.56 no.6
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    • pp.600-610
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    • 2004
  • Background : The plasma B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP) concentration increases with the degree of pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic respiratory disease. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic role of BNP in the acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Method : We selected 67 patients who were admitted our hospital because of an acute exacerbation of COPD. Their BNP levels were checked on admission at the Emergency Department. Their medical records were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to their in-hospital mortality. The patients' medical history, comobidity, exacerbation type, blood gas analysis, pulmonary function, APACHE II severity score and plasma BNP level were compared. Results : Multiple logistic regression analysis identified three independent predictors of mortality: $FEV_1$, APACHE II score and plasma BNP level. The decedents group showed a lower $FEV_1$($28{\pm}7$ vs. $37{\pm}15%$, p=0.005), a higher APACHE II score($22.4{\pm}6.1$ vs. $15.8{\pm}4.7$, p=0.000) and a higher BNP level ($201{\pm}116$ vs. $77{\pm}80pg/mL$, p=0.000) than the sSurvivors group. When the BNP cut-off level was set to 88pg/mL using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the sensitivity was 90% and the specificity was 75% in differentiating between the survivors and decedents. On Fisher's exact test, the odds ratio for mortality was 21.2 (95% CI 2.49 to 180.4) in the patients with a BNP level > 88pg/mL. Conclusion : The plasma BNP level might be a predictor of mortality in an acute exacerbation of COPD as well as the $FEV_1$ and APACHE II score.

A Study on the Risk Factors for Maternal and Child Health Care Program with Emphasis on Developing the Risk Score System (모자건강관리를 위한 위험요인별 감별평점분류기준 개발에 관한 연구)

  • 이광옥
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.7-21
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    • 1983
  • For the flexible and rational distribution of limited existing health resources based on measurements of individual risk, the socalled Risk Approach is being proposed by the World Health Organization as a managerial tool in maternal and child health care program. This approach, in principle, puts us under the necessity of developing a technique by which we will be able to measure the degree of risk or to discriminate the future outcomes of pregnancy on the basis of prior information obtainable at prenatal care delivery settings. Numerous recent studies have focussed on the identification of relevant risk factors as the Prior infer mation and on defining the adverse outcomes of pregnancy to be dicriminated, and also have tried on how to develope scoring system of risk factors for the quantitative assessment of the factors as the determinant of pregnancy outcomes. Once the scoring system is established the technique of classifying the patients into with normal and with adverse outcomes will be easily de veloped. The scoring system should be developed to meet the following four basic requirements. 1) Easy to construct 2) Easy to use 3) To be theoretically sound 4) To be valid In searching for a feasible methodology which will meet these requirements, the author has attempted to apply the“Likelihood Method”, one of the well known principles in statistical analysis, to develop such scoring system according to the process as follows. Step 1. Classify the patients into four groups: Group $A_1$: With adverse outcomes on fetal (neonatal) side only. Group $A_2$: With adverse outcomes on maternal side only. Group $A_3$: With adverse outcome on both maternal and fetal (neonatal) sides. Group B: With normal outcomes. Step 2. Construct the marginal tabulation on the distribution of risk factors for each group. Step 3. For the calculation of risk score, take logarithmic transformation of relative proport-ions of the distribution and round them off to integers. Step 4. Test the validity of the score chart. h total of 2, 282 maternity records registered during the period of January 1, 1982-December 31, 1982 at Ewha Womans University Hospital were used for this study and the“Questionnaire for Maternity Record for Prenatal and Intrapartum High Risk Screening”developed by the Korean Institute for Population and Health was used to rearrange the information on the records into an easy analytic form. The findings of the study are summarized as follows. 1) The risk score chart constructed on the basis of“Likelihood Method”ispresented in Table 4 in the main text. 2) From the analysis of the risk score chart it was observed that a total of 24 risk factors could be identified as having significant predicting power for the discrimination of pregnancy outcomes into four groups as defined above. They are: (1) age (2) marital status (3) age at first pregnancy (4) medical insurance (5) number of pregnancies (6) history of Cesarean sections (7). number of living child (8) history of premature infants (9) history of over weighted new born (10) history of congenital anomalies (11) history of multiple pregnancies (12) history of abnormal presentation (13) history of obstetric abnormalities (14) past illness (15) hemoglobin level (16) blood pressure (17) heart status (18) general appearance (19) edema status (20) result of abdominal examination (21) cervix status (22) pelvis status (23) chief complaints (24) Reasons for examination 3) The validity of the score chart turned out to be as follows: a) Sensitivity: Group $A_1$: 0.75 Group $A_2$: 0.78 Group $A_3$: 0.92 All combined : 0.85 b) Specificity : 0.68 4) The diagnosabilities of the“score chart”for a set of hypothetical prevalence of adverse outcomes were calculated as follows (the sensitivity“for all combined”was used). Hypothetidal Prevalence : 5% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Diagnosability : 12% 23% 40% 53% 64% 75% 80%.

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The Prognostic Role of B-type Natriuretic Peptide in Acute Pulmonary Thromboembolism (급성 폐혈전색전증 환자에서 예후 인자로서 혈중 BNP의 의의)

  • Lee, Su Jin;Lee, Jae Hyung;Park, Ji Young;Jo, Woo Sung;Kim, Ji Eun;Kim, Ki Uk;Park, Hye Kyung;Kim, Yun Seong;Lee, Min Ki;Park, Soon Kew
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.60 no.5
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    • pp.540-547
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    • 2006
  • Background : Vital stability and right side heart failure are major prognostic factors of acute pulmonary thromboembolism. While it is important to recognize right side heart failure, it is often difficult in real practice. Recently, several studies have described early diagnostic tools for detecting right side heart failure including echocardiography and biochemical markers. This study, we evaluated the prognostic role of the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in an acute pulmonary thromboembolism. Methods : Thirty-four patients with a diagnosis of acute pulmonary thromboembolism were enrolled in the study. The BNP levels were measured and echocardiography was performed at the Emergency Department. Data on the prognostic factors including ventilatory support, vital stability, pulmonary artery pressure, degree of tricuspid valve regurgitation, complications and death was collected from the patients' medical records. The patients with an acute pulmonary thromboembolism were divided into two groups based on the vital stability and the BNP level and the cutoff values and prognostic factors of the two groups were compared. Results : The predictors of the vital stability that influence the prognosis of patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism were the BNP level, ventilatory support and death. The plasma BNP levels showed a strong correlation with the vital stability, ventilatory support, thrombolytic therapy and death. When the BNP cutoff level was set to 377.5 pg/dl in a ROC curve, the sensitivity and the specificity for differentiating between the groups with stable or unstable vital signs was 100% and 90%, respectively. Conclusion : This study indicates that a measurement of the plasma BNP levels may be a useful prognostic marker in patients with an acute pulmonary thrombo-embolism.

A Study on the Traditional Costumes and Tattoo of the Maori (마오리族 傳統 服飾과 文身 考察)

  • 황춘섭;정현주
    • The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.241-260
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    • 1995
  • The Maori's traditional clothing materials, basic forms of dress, and the pattern and technique of tatoo were examined in the present study in order to deepen the appreciation of the cultural heritage of the Maori. The research method employed was the analysis of written materials. And a fild-trip was also made for the study. The study was limitted to the traditional culture of body adornment of the Maori including the clothing which is preserved and practicing by them at the present day, and the origin and the process of the historical development of those are not included in the scope of the present study. Followings are the results of the study: (1) By far the most widely used fiber for Maori clothing is abtained from what is commonly called New Zealand Flax. The fiber of kiekie(Freycinetia baueriana) and cabbage trees(Cordyline spp.) may also be used. The strong, long-lasting fiber of toi(cordyline indivisa) is used for a prestige warrior's cloak. Flat strips of ti kauka(Cordyline australi) are also used as thatch on rain cloaks. (2) Regardless of technique used, Maori weaving is always worked horizontally from left to right. Traditionally the work was suspended between two upright turuturu or weaving sticks. As the work progressed a second pair of uprights was used to keep the work off the ground. These uprights were moved forward as required. Because the weaver sat on the ground, the working edge was kept at a height that was comfortable to reach. No weaving tools are used, the wefts(aho) being manipulated by the fingers. The two main Maori weaving techniques are whatu aho patahi(single-pair twining) and whatu aho rua(double-pair twining). (3) The Maori wore two basic garments - a waist met and a cloak. The cloth of commoners were of plain manufacture, while those of people of rank were superior, sometimes being decorated with feather or dyed tags and decorated borders. Children ran more-or-less naked until puberty, being dressed only for special events. Some working dress consisted of nothing more than belts with leaves thrust under them. Chiefs and commoners usually went barefoot, using rough sandals on journeys over rough country (4) The adornment of men and women of rank was an important matter of tribal concern as it was in chiefly persons that prestige of the group was centred, The durable items of Maori persons adornment were either worn or carried. Ornaments of various kinds were draped about the neck or suspended from pierced earlobes. Combs decorated the head. Personal decorations not only enhanced the appearance of men and women, but many had protective magical function. The most evident personal ornament was the hei-tiki made of jade or other material. Maori weapons were treasured by their owners. They served on bottle and were also personal regalia. A man of rank was not fully dressed without a weapon in hand. Also weapons were essential to effective oratory. (5) No man or woman of rank went without some tattoo adornment except in extremely rare instances when a person was too sacred to have any blood shed. The untattooed were marked as beeing commoners of no social standing. This indelible mark of rank was begun, with appropriate rite and ritual, at puberty. And tattoo marked the person as being of a marriageable age. Maori tattoo was unlike most traditional tattoo in that its main line were 'engraved' on the face with deep cuts made by miniature bone chisels. The fill-in areas were not tattooed with cuts but with the multiple pricks of small bone 'combs' that only lightly penetrated the skin surface. The instrument of tattoo consisted of small pots of pumice or wood into which was placed a wetted black pigment made from burnt kauri gum, burnt vegetable caterpillars or other sooty materials. A bird bone chisel or comb set at right angles on a short wooden handle was dipped into the gigment, that a rod or stick was used to tap head of this miniature adze, causing penetration of the skin surface. Black pigment lodged under the skin took on a bluish tinge. A full made facial tattoo consisted of major spirals with smaller spirals on each side of the nose and sweeping curved lines radiating out from between the brows over the forehead and from the nose to the chin. The major patterns were cut deep, while the secondary koru patterns were lightly pricked into the skin.

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Effects of Supplemental Lighting on Growth and Yield of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Hydroponic Culture under Low Levels of Natural Light in Winter (동계시설내 보광이 수경재배 착색단고추(Capsicum annum L.)의 생육에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Yong-Bum;Bae, Jong-Hyang;Park, Me-Hea
    • Horticultural Science & Technology
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.317-325
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    • 2011
  • This study was conducted to examine the effect of supplemental lighting on the growth and yield of hydroponically grown sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. sprit) under low levels of natural light in winter. The plants were treated with natural light only (control), 3-hour supplemental lighting before sunrise, after sunrise and after sunset with high pressure sodium (HPS, 400W). As the result of these three treatments, the supplemental lighting promoted photosynthesis in the low light intensity condition and particularly photosynthesis was more active right after sun rise in the morning, 1.5-$3.0{\mu}molCO_2{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ comparing to those of supplemental lighting after sunset, 0.5-$1.5{\mu}molCO_2{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$. Transpiration rate and stomatal conductance sharply increased with supplemental lighting after sunrise then they decreased again after turning the lights off. Stomatal size was observed $32.2{\mu}m^2$ after supplemental lighting, whereas the size of the natural light was almost closed at $7.7{\mu}m^2$. The average plant height of sweet papper cv. spirit was 185 cm before sunrise, 188 cm after sunrise and 208 cm after sunset with supplemental lighting for 3hours while the control was 171 cm. With supplemental lighting a better number of fruit set per plant was measured 4.3 before and after sunrise, 3.7 after sunset but 2.6 in the control. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in the sugar content ($^{\circ}Brix$) degree between treatment of supplemental lighting, whereas slight differences between seasons were seen. The marketable fruit yield of sweet pepper (cv. spirit) was $116.0kg{\cdot}ha$ with supplemental lighting, whereas the control (natural light only) was $75.8kg{\cdot}ha$. Despite of spending electricity and depreciation cost, the economic analysis showed net income with supplemental lighting after sunrise was 51% higher than control treatment in cv. spirit.

Analysis on the Present Condition of the Korean Stick-held Dip Net Fishery for Pacific Saury in the North Pacific Ocean (북태평양 한국 꽁치봉수망어엽의 현황 분석)

  • Jo, Hyun-Su;Moon, Dae-Yeon;Kim, Yeong-Seung;Lee, Ju-Hee;Kim, Hyung-Seok
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.97-103
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    • 2004
  • This paper presents a general overview of the Korean stick-held dip net fishery for Pacific saury operated in the North Pacific Ocean since 1985. Annual catches, annual centroids distribution of fishing ground, and optimum fishing temperatures were compared between the periods before and after the new Korea-Japan bilateral fishery arrangement established in 1998. Fishing usually began in May and ended by December, during which major catches were taken in the months September~November before the bilateral fishery arrangement between Korea and Japan, whereas in August~October after the arrangement. It was observed that after the arrangement the centroids of fishing ground was shifted from the usual fishing area off the east coast of Japan to the east of South Kuril Islands, 45$^{\circ}$N and 151$^{\circ}$E. Optimum fishing temperatures appeared to be different by month ; 12.5~14.4$^{\circ}C$ in May, 12.0~14.2$^{\circ}C$ in June, 11.4~13.9$^{\circ}C$ in July, 11.4~15.9$^{\circ}C$ in August, 12.9~16.9$^{\circ}C$ in September, 12.7~17.3$^{\circ}C$ in October, 13.1~17.6$^{\circ}C$ in November, and 15.0~19.1$^{\circ}C$ in December. A total of 13 species were caught during scientific observation periods but the target species, Pacific saury, accounted for about 99.9% of the total catch. Although there was no difference in fishing days between those vessels equipped with the sonar and those without sonar, number of set, total catch, and CPUE of those with sonar were higher than those without sonar by 13%, 26%, and 12%, respectively.

An Awareness of Welfare Facility for the Elderly and It's Related Factors of College Students (노인복지시설(老人福祉施設)에 대한 대학생(大學生)의 의식(意識)과 관련요인(關聯要因))

  • Jowa Yooun-Teak;Nam Chul-Hyun;Park Chun-Man
    • Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.87-111
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    • 1998
  • For the newly approach of policy with the old aged era at hand, the result which examines the 1,200 students attending professional colleges and upward in three small-to-medium sized cities, for two months, from October 1, 1996 to November 30, in order to know the change of consciousness of the growing modern young intellectual age group is as follows. 1. The objects of survey consist of 72.1% of women, 40.4% of 20 to 21 age, 49.1% of atheists, and people from big cities and fishing and agrarian village occupy equally 40.2%. Concerning the long-termed residents, 49% of them dwell in big cities. In case of the parents' age is more than 55, 31.5% in fathers, and 10.9% in mothers. 2. The types of housing in which they desire to reside in their getting older are : 72.8% of them hope to live in individual houses, 16.6% in apartments or villas, and 3.4% in social welfare facilities. Out of respondents, compared with other groups, man rather than woman, those who are 20 to 21 age group and from fishing and agrarian villages and have over 7 family members and live with their parents have a higher preference for independent houses. 3. The districts in which they hope to live when they are old are : 41.6% of them, with the highest percent, hope to live in farming villages, the older they are, the more they hope to live in agricultural district, and women of 21 years and upward hope to live in big cities. On the other hand, the preferable degree for social welfare facilities is higher each in people who are 24 years and upward, buddhists, self-boarding students, and the more poorly they are off, the higher the percent is. 4. The types of preferable welfare facilities for the elderly are : 58.2% of them think silver towns desirable, 28.4% think the charged (or free) elderly welfare facilities. Compared with other groups, the percentage which prefer silver towns is higher in women, people from big cities, residents of main family, long-termed city residents, people with higher income, people having grandparents alive, and people who had experience of taking lectures on hygienics or social welfare. 5. 50.3% of the respondents insist that provision of living expenses against old age should be insured by social security system, and 42.8% by the elderly themselves. The percentage of the former shows higher in people of 21 years and upward, women, residents of fishing and agrarian villages, christians, people in more needy circumstances and people who have experience of using a medical institution. 6. Compared with other nations, 54.5% of the respondents have an opinion that elderly welfare and welfare work in Korea stays in insufficient level and most of them are women, people from farming village, residents of head family, people having younger parents and people being worse health condition, and they have a more positive attitude about the elderly welfare work. 7. 92.3% of the respondents answered that a national budget for the elderly welfare is scarce, and the percentage is higher in people who are older, residents of big cities, people in lower living condition and people in worse health condition. 8. 35.2% of the respondents answered that the proper cost of their old age must be over 220mi11ion. The more a family's total income is, the higher the percentage is. 9. The factors which have an effect on the preference of silver towns are sex(p<0.01, the type of the present residence(p<0.05), and a family's total income(p<0.05). 10. From the survey result of the above, we comes to the conclusion that, for the sake of welfare of the increasing elderly population, government authorities and parties concerned must exert their utmost for the elderly welfare by increasing a budget of it and establishing a number of facilities of the elderly welfare and silver towns located in fresh and comfortable villages. In addition, they have to set up a course of hygienics in all the colleges and instruct the contexts on hygienic welfare as well.

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Naturally Collection and Development until Yolk Absorption of Domestic Walleye Pollock Theragra chalcogramma Fertilized Eggs and Larvae (국내 명태 Theragra chalcogramma 자연채란과 난황흡수까지의 난 발생)

  • Seo, Joo-young;Kwon, O-Nam
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.49-54
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    • 2017
  • We collected and reared Theragra chalcogramma walleye pollock brood-stock for use in natural spawning tests and undertook to obtain domestic pollock via fertilized egg capture, development of fertilized eggs, and absorption of yolk sac after hatching. Whole pollock were caught with trammel and set nets and immediately placed in a deep-sea water tank. Adults were the most common pollock age group (43.0%; n = 86) among the 254 pollock captured in March 2014 with 57.9% (n = 147) being captured off Southern Gosung, Korea. The main spawning period of pollock is February (spawning phase of 91% of pollock). From the deep-sea tank, we collected 1640 mL of naturally fertilized eggs (~820,000 eggs) from 12 spawning events occurring between February 4 and 22 2015. The floating/ live eggs were maintained in deep-sea water tanks at $5.5{\pm}0.2^{\circ}C$. Egg size was $1.5{\pm}0.03mm$. Six hours after fertilization the eggs were at the 2 cell stage, and the eggs hatched approximately 340 hours after collection. At hatching, larval length and yolk sac area were $5.2{\pm}0.25mm$ and $9.5{\pm}1.00mm^2$ (100%), respectively. Four days after hatching, the yolk sac area was $2.2{\pm}0.53mm^2$ ($23.1{\pm}5.55%$). This is the first report of collection of naturally fertilized eggs from pollock and their subsequent hatching while held in an indoor deep-sea water tank. The results suggest that such collection could assist in the recovery of pollock resources and the possibility of domestic rearing of cultivated larvae.

An alternative way of Animation Industry : Focusing on Avatar sevice's Lock-in Effect (애니메이션 산업의 대안적 연구 - 아바타 서비스의 소비자 고착화(lock-in) 전략을 중심으로)

  • Han, Chang-Wan
    • Cartoon and Animation Studies
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    • s.6
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    • pp.152-171
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    • 2002
  • This study analyses the avatar service, which is recognized as an alternative strategy of animation industry. The research questions of this study are following: (1) How have the avatar services been developed and what are the present dominant types? (2) Which structural characteristics of e-business environment are needed for the success of avatar services? (3) What is the economic characteristics of avatar business model? To solve these research questions, the basic conditions and the structural characteristics of avatar services have been investigated. In the first place, two forms of avatar service are classified. One is the internet service site whole primary service is to provide chatting service based on avatar service. The other is the portal site in which many kinds of products and services are presented as bundles to meet the needs of internet users. So avatar service is one of bundles which those portal sites are providing with. In this study, the big five internet service sites are selected based on the profits they earned through the sales of avatar service. The result of analysis is that the pricing strategy of those big five sites is very different from those of traditional off-line markets. The pricing mechanism are based on the value which internet users endow with the avatar items, not based on the costs of making the products. Avatar is the representative informative goods. The informative goods have the original cost structures, constant fixed costs and zero marginal costs, so the providers of avatar services make much of the subjective values of consumers. The sayclub, which is the most successful avatar service site and earn the average sales of 3 billing won a month, takes the aggressive strategy of pricing avatar items at highest price in the industry. The avatar service providers which make lots of profits are planning of making differentiate the services, introducing well-known brand items and star-named items. Nevertheless, the fact that the members of the sayclub are not decreasing means that the network effect of the site is so strongly manifest. Moreover, the costs the members have paid for the avatar items are so big not as to switch from one site to the other site, it can be very costly. These switching costs are endemic in high-technology industries and digital contents industries. It can be so large that switching suppliers is virtually unthinkable, a situation known as 'lock-in'. When switching costs are substantial, competition can be intense to attract new customers, since, one they are locked in, they can be a substantial source of profit. The consumers of avatar items have switching costs if they subscribe for the new avatar service site. The switching costs can be subscription costs as well as the costs of giving up the items they already paid for. One common example of switching costs involves specialized supplies, as with inkjet printer cartridges. In this example, the switching cost is the purchase of a new printer. The market is competitive ex ante, but since cartridges are incompatible, it is monopolized dx post. So the providers of printer/cartridges set pricing printer so cheap and cartridges expensive. On the contrary, since the avatar service can be successful with the strong network effect, the providers of avatar services have to compete aggressively for new customers. So they allow the subscription at a low price(almost marginal cost) in the early market. The network effect can be maximized when the members are sufficiently growing. The providers which have the monopoly power with sufficient subscribers. begin to raise the prices over the lifetime of the product and make profits.

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The Effect of Bee Venom Therapy on Skin Aging (봉독이 피부 노화에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Jin-Myoung;Kim, Yoon-Bum
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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    • v.23 no.2
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    • pp.27-40
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    • 2010
  • Background and Objective : Increasing interest in anti-aging and anti-wrinkling agents for the skin has triggered the recent outflow of researches and studies in this field. This study was designed to investigate the effects of bee venom on skin wrinkling and skin aging by testing the skin wrinkling, skin elasticity, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), free radical level, anti-oxidative agent level, and skin tissue after infusion of bee venom on hairless mouse. Materials and Methods : Fifteen hairless mice aged between 36~40 weeks were divided randomly into 3 Group; the Bee Venom Syringe Group, the Bee Venom Needle Group, and the control group. The Bee Venom Syringe Group were injected subcutaneously with bee venom (0.1cc in total) using an insulin syringe on three spots in the lumbar spine (one spot on the center and two spots 1~2cm to the side bilaterally). The Bee Venom Needle Group were pricked with bee venom-smeared acupuncture needles on three longitudinal spots in the lumbar spine each 1cm apart, after which the needles were removed 10 minutes later. The Control Group did not receive any form of intervention. All procedures took place thrice a week for four weeks, during which the mice were allowed free access to water and fodder. The mice were measured and compared in the weight, skin wrinkling scale, skin elasticity, and TEWL before and after the experiment. After the experiment, blood samples were taken to measure the free radical and anti-oxidative agent level, and the skin tissue was sliced for examination. Data was analyzed using the SPSS program (ver 12.0). The ANOVA analysis was used to compare and contrast the three groups, and t-test for paired samples was used to evaluate skin-wrinkling before and after experiment. The cut-off p-value of significance was set at p<0.05. Results : 1. Administration of bee venom did not cause serious weight loss or gain. 2. Compared to the control group, the Bee Venom Syringe Group and the Bee Venom Needle Group both showed a decrease in skin wrinkling scale after intervention. Especially, the Bee Venom Syringe Group showed a significant decrease (p<0.05). 3. Compared to the control group, the Bee Venom Syringe Group and the Bee Venom Needle Group both showed an increase in skin elasticity. Especially, the Bee Venom Syringe Group showed a significant increase (p<0.05). 4. No significant change in TEWL was found in the mice in all the three groups before and after experiment. 5. Free radical level was normal in all 15 mice in all the three groups, and anti-oxidative agent was not significantly different across the three groups. 6. The Bee Venom Syringe Group, the Bee Venom Needle Group, and the control group did not show any significant difference in the thickness of epidermis and dermis, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and skin wrinkling. The epidermis layer was relatively better preserved in the Bee Venom Syringe Group as compared to the Bee Venom Needle Group and the control group. Conclusion : Direct injection of bee venom on the hairless mouse using a syringe was found to improve wrinkling of the skin and increase skin elasticity but did not show effectiveness on skin dryness due to water loss. The bee venom appears to have suppressive effects on skin wrinkling, one of the symptoms of skin aging, through a process independent of suppression of free radicals or increase of anti-oxidative agent.