• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.419-433
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• 2014

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity investigated plains at Meridiani Planum, where laminated sedimentary rocks are present. The Opportunity rover's Athena morphological investigation showed microstructures organized in intertwined filaments of microspherules: a texture we have also found on samples of terrestrial (biogenic) stromatolites and other microbialites. We performed a quantitative image analysis to compare images (n=45) of microbialites with the images (n=30) photographed by the rover (corresponding, approximately, to 25,000/15,000 microstructures). Contours were extracted and morphometric indexes were obtained: geometric and algorithmic complexities, entropy, tortuosity, minimum and maximum diameters. Terrestrial and Martian textures present a multifractal aspect. Mean values and confidence intervals from the Martian images overlapped perfectly with those from the terrestrial samples. The probability of this occurring by chance is $1/2^8$, less than p<0.004. Terrestrial abiogenic pseudostromatolites showed a simple fractal structure and different morphometric values from those of the terrestrial biogenic stromatolite images or Martian images with a less ordered texture (p<0.001). Our work shows the presumptive evidence of microbialites in the Martian outcroppings: i.e., the presence of unicellular life on the ancient Mars.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.75-86
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• 2010

The objective of this study is to suggest the process and method of local accident investigation for local authorities with a view to efficient and effective managing traffic accidents. With a project city selected accident-type maps, accident lists, accident diagrams, priority of black-spots/-lengths, site visits, remedial measures, opportunity costs, monitoring etc. are taken into consideration, by using accident data in the last 3 years. Analyzed are accident savings to be expected when applying technical, organizational, and administrative processes attached to local accident investigation.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.401-415
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• 2006

The science education reforms put the emphasis of scientific literacy, so that students can understand how scientific knowledge is constructed through scientific inquiry at schools. However, scientific inquiry at schools has a problem as a cookbook system without the opportunity of developing argumentation, where students could understand how they use evidence to support their theory or vice versa. Teachers are supposed to understand the basic elements, purpose, and definition of scientific inquiry to implement authentic scientific inquiry at schools, then develop the instructional strategies of providing the opportunity of scientific argumentation to meet its needs.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.103-123
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate antecedents and consequences of perceived justice of performance appraisals, which is classified as distributive and procedural justice, in hospital organization. The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, for distributive justice of performance appraisals, the influential factors are the pertinence of performance appraisal method, the opportunity of self-reporting, the availability of performance appraisal, and the feedback of performance appraisal. For the procedural justice of performance appraisals, they are the leadership style of performance appraisers, the ratee-rater exchange relationship, the pertinence of performance appraisal method, the opportunity of self-reporting, and the feedback of performance appraisal. Second, the perceived justice weakly affects outcome variables, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. By these results, the performance appraisal system needs to be changed in order to enhance distributive justice through the improvement of suitable methods of the performance appraisal, the opportunity of self-reporting, the availability of performance appraisal, and the feedback of performance appraisals. If it is difficult to increase the level of distributive justice due to the environmental restrictions in hospitals, the way to enhance the procedural justice more than the distributive one should be considered.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.173-201
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• 1995

A causal model of organizational commitment on the basis of Western literature was tested with a sample of 1,164 employees from two university hospitals in Korea. The model contains three groups of determinants : environmental variables(job opportunity, spouse support, and parent support), psychological variables(met expectations, work involvement, positive affectivity, and negative affectivity), and structural variables(job autonomy, work unit control, routinization, supervisor support, coworker support, role ambiguity, role conflict, workload, resource inadequacy, distributive justice, promotional chances, job security, job hazarda, and pay). The data were colleted with questionnaires and analyzed with the LISREL maximum likelihood method. It is found that (1) the following variables, listed in order of size, have significant total effects on organizational commitment : job satisfaction, met expectations, supervisor support, job security, routinization, job opportunity, negative affectivity, work involvement, distributive justice, and promotional opportunity, (2) the model explains fifty-nine percent of the variance in organizational commitment, and (3) the link with expectancy theory is justified by the results for met expectations. Two conclusions can be drawn from these findings. First, the model of organizational commitment appears to be generalizable to Korean hospitals. Second, the model of organizational commitment should include such theoretical variables as environmental, psychological, and structural factors.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.18-27
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• 2011

Management flexibility to adapt its future actions in response to altered future market conditions can expand the value of an investment opportunity by improving its upside potential without the change in the downside losses. Module manufacturers in solar industry continuously have to decide how much and when its production capacity should be expanded with regards to the demand in the global markets. Either over- or under-investment can cause sunk and/or opportunity costs to the module manufacturers. Option of exercising the additional investments only on favorable opportunities can increase total value of the investment. This paper analyzes the case which shows that the expansion of production capacity with more expandibility can have more value than the rigid plan of capacity expansion. The expansion option value is equivalent to KRW 38.286 billion, thus switching the negative NPV of the initial investment opportunity into the positive value. High volatility and the high growth in the cashflows as the major business features of the renewable energy provide condition where real options can play the crucial role in increasing the investment value as well as in determining the size and timing of capacity expansion in the course of capital budgeting process.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.157-165
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• 2020

This paper estimates the optimum level of reserves in Vietnam based on the approach of reserves' cost-benefit and sovereign risk which is one of developing countries' characteristics. The cost of reserves is the opportunity cost when holding reserves. The benefit of reserves is the loss due to country's default in case that there is no reserves to finance external debt payment. The optimum reserves is found out by minimizing the total of opportunity cost and loss due to country's default with the probability of default. Through the usage of HP Filter method for calculating the loss due to country's default, ARDL regression for the risk premium model and lending rate of VND as proxy for opportunity cost together with the Vietnamese economic data in the period of 2005 - 2017, the empirical results show that the optimum reserves in Vietnam is almost higher than the actual reserves during the research period except the point of Q3/2008 and the last point of research period - Q4/2017. Therefore, Vietnam should continue to increase reserves for safety but Vietnam does not need pushing quickly the speed of increasing reserves. In addition, controlling Vietnamese optimum reserves is necessary to help the actual reserves become reasonable.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.23-36
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• 2017

Purpose - In this study, dating in the elderlys' life gave satisfaction: for elderly men, dating gave them self esteem, and in women they were satisfied with the realities. This study investigated the effect of dating in the elderly on their happiness. Research design, data, and methodology - These days, the elderly population rapidly increased to produce a social issue and studies of such in welfare policy for the elderly are limited. The elderly has lost roles in the society because aged people give up human reason and love in accordance with the traditional expectations of them. Subjects in this study were related with investigating the elderly's dating life, loneliness and happiness. Results - The date life of the elderly had significant influence upon psychological loneliness. Hypothesis was adopted and results showed the degree of elderly's dating life had a significant influence upon psychological loneliness (.230**) to account for 13.2% of psychological loneliness. Needs of dating elderly had influence upon psychological loneliness. Conclusions - Psychological loneliness was mediated with dating in the elderly for opportunity and happiness. Hypothesis was that the dating had influence upon happiness. As a result, date opportunity, degree, needs and friendliness had no significant influence upon happiness.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.137-161
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• 1997

This study purports to investigate the determinants of propensity to stay among nursing staff working at Korean hospitals. The independent variables contains three groups of determinants: environmental variables(job opportunity, spouse support, and parent support), psychological variables(met expectations, work involvement, positive affectivity, and negative affectivity), and structural variables(job autonomy, work unit control. routinization, supervisor support, coworker support, role ambiguity, role conflict, workload, resource inadequacy, distributive justice, promotional chances. job security, job hazards, and pay). The sample used in this study consisted of 329 nurses and 175 nurse aides from two university hospitals in Seoul and its surburbs. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using path analysis. The results of this study indicate that: (1) the following variables, listed in order of size, have significant positive effects on propensity to stay among hospital nursing staff: job satisfaction, met expectations, supervisor support, job security, and positive affectivity, (2) the following variables, listed in order of size, have significant negative total effects on propensity to stay among hospital nursing staff: job opportunity, negative affectivity, and rutinization, (3) the model explains 44.2 percent of the variance in propensity to stay among nursing staff working at two university hospitals, and (4) managerial support for improving the job autonomy, distributive justice, and promotional opportunity for nurse aides are needed.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.64-85
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• 2008

This study purports to investigate the determinant of job satisfaction among workers working at Long-term care hospitals. The independent variables contain three groups of determinants: organizational characteristics variables(job autonomy, job variety, distributive justice, role conflict, supervisor support, job suitability, job significance, job security, organizational support, job growth, promotional opportunity), environmental variables(job opportunity), and psychological variables (met expectation, job efficacy, positive affectivity, and negative affectivity). The sample used in this study consisted of 250 workers from 4 Long-term care hospitals nationwide. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results of the study are as follows: 1) the following variables, listed in order of size, have significant effects on job satisfaction: negative affectivity(-), job significance(+), job growth(+), age(+), positive affectivity(+), organizational support(+), job opportunity(-). 2) the variance of job satisfaction explained by the variables used in the study are 53.8%. When demographic variables added to Model I, job satisfaction explained by variables are 55.4%. 3) the results of this study indicate that three variables of negative affectivity, job significance, job growth are especially important for improving the level of job satisfaction among workers at Long-term care hospitals.