• Title/Summary/Keyword: Outcomes Measurement

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Efficiency Analysis of Contract-managed Business and Industry Foodservice Operations Using Data Envelopment Analysis (자료포락분석(DEA)을 이용한 위탁급식전문업체의 산업체 급식소 효율성 평가)

  • Choi, Kyu-Wan;Park, Young-Min;Shin, Seo-Young;Kwak, Tong-Kyung
    • Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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    • v.12 no.2
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    • pp.178-188
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    • 2007
  • This study was performed to suggest a new efficiency measurement indicator is necessary for evaluating management efficiency of food service operations in contract-managed foodservice companies, to distinguish efficient food service providers and inefficient ones by measuring comparative efficiency among food service operations, and to provide guidance for effective management through showing benchmarking targets for improving inefficient food service providers. The subjects of this study were the 93 B&I foodservice Operations of a domestic contract food service company. The analysis was conducted using CCR model in DEA model. A software, 'Frontier analyst', was used for the analysis. Based on the results derived from comparison of efficiency evaluation classified by providers with use of DEA, it was possible to identify efficient food providers and inefficient providers, and subsequently provide benchmarking guidelines for improvement of the inefficient groups. In analyzing the differences between the results of DEA efficiency evaluation by detailed operation status of food service providers, there was significant difference of efficiency outcomes in terms of contract types, while there was no significant difference in terms of business condition.

Technical and clinical aspects of cortisol as a biochemical marker of chronic stress

  • Lee, Do Yup;Kim, Eosu;Choi, Man Ho
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.48 no.4
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    • pp.209-216
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    • 2015
  • Stress is now recognized as a universal premorbid factor associated with many risk factors of various chronic diseases. Acute stress may induce an individual's adaptive response to environmental demands. However, chronic, excessive stress causes cumulative negative impacts on health outcomes through "allostatic load". Thus, monitoring the quantified levels of long-term stress mediators would provide a timely opportunity for prevention or earlier intervention of stressrelated chronic illnesses. Although either acute or chronic stress could be quantified through measurement of changes in physiological parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of various metabolic hormones, it is still elusive to interpret whether the changes in circulating levels of stress mediators such as cortisol can reflect the acute, chronic, or diurnal variations. Both serum and salivary cortisol levels reveal acute changes at a single point in time, but the overall long-term systemic cortisol exposure is difficult to evaluate due to circadian variations and its protein-binding capacity. Scalp hair has a fairy predictable growth rate of approximately 1 cm/month, and the most 1 cm segment approximates the last month's cortisol production as the mean value. The analysis of cortisol in hair is a highly promising technique for the retrospective assessment of chronic stress. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(4): 209-216]

Application of principal component analysis and wavelet transform to fatigue crack detection in waveguides

  • Cammarata, Marcello;Rizzo, Piervincenzo;Dutta, Debaditya;Sohn, Hoon
    • Smart Structures and Systems
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    • v.6 no.4
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    • pp.349-362
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    • 2010
  • Ultrasonic Guided Waves (UGWs) are a useful tool in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications that can benefit from built-in transduction, moderately large inspection ranges and high sensitivity to small flaws. This paper describes a SHM method based on UGWs, discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and principal component analysis (PCA) able to detect and quantify the onset and propagation of fatigue cracks in structural waveguides. The method combines the advantages of guided wave signals processed through the DWT with the outcomes of selecting defect-sensitive features to perform a multivariate diagnosis of damage. This diagnosis is based on the PCA. The framework presented in this paper is applied to the detection of fatigue cracks in a steel beam. The probing hardware consists of a PXI platform that controls the generation and measurement of the ultrasonic signals by means of piezoelectric transducers made of Lead Zirconate Titanate. Although the approach is demonstrated in a beam test, it is argued that the proposed method is general and applicable to any structure that can sustain the propagation of UGWs.

A Study on Pain relief effects and Allergic responses for the Osteoarthritis of the knee joint Between Sweet Bee Venom and Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture (동일 농도0.1mg/ml)의 Sweet Bee Venom과 봉약침의 퇴행성 슬관절염에 대한 임상연구)

  • Kim, Sung-Chul;Na, Won-Min;Lee, Sung-Young;Jang, Eun-Ha;Lim, Seung-Il
    • Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.31-40
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    • 2008
  • Objectives : To verify pain relief effects and allergy inhibitory action for the osteoarthritis of the knee joint in Sweet Bee Venom in which allergy causing enzyme is removed. Methods : We randomly allocated 30 participants to treatment group Sweet Bee Venom and Bee Venom. Outcomes on pain reduction were measured by 100mm VAS(Visual Analog Scale). And we recorded into details allergic responses during Pharmacopuncture treatment. Results : Whole body condition and pain rate through VAS measurement were improved significantly in 2 weeks. We could get difference in pain score of two Pharmacopuncture groups significantly in 2 weeks. Sweet BV group($0.1{\beta}mg/m{\ell}$) showed superior reduction in pain compared to the BV group($0.1{\beta}mg/m{\ell}$) significantly. And other allergic responses such as edema, itchiness, pain were significantly lower in the Sweet BV group.

Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension : Clinical Presentation, Imaging Features and Treatment

  • Park, Eun-Soo;Kim, Ealmaan
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.45 no.1
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    • pp.1-4
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    • 2009
  • Objective : In the present study, the authors investigated the clinical and imaging features as well as the therapeutic outcomes of SIH (spontaneous intracranial hypotension) patients. Methods : A retrospective review of 12 SIH patients was carried out. The diagnostic work-up included lumbar tapping and measurement of CSF opening pressure, radioisotope cisternography, brain and spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) myelography. Autologous epidural blood patching was performed in patients who did not respond to conservative therapies, including analgesics, steroids, hydration and rest. Results : Typical postural headache was found in 11 (91%) patients. Nine (75%) patients showed pachymeningeal enhancement on their initial T1-weighted MR images. The CSF opening pressure was less than 60 mm$H_2O$ in 9 of 11 patients. Autologous epidural blood patching was performed in 7 patients, and all of them showed good responses. Conclusion : SIH can present with various clinical presentations and neuroimaging findings. Autologous epidural blood patching is thought to be the treatment of choice for patients with SIH.

Voice Traffic Estimation using Kalman-filtering and Performance Evaluation of a Circuit Switched Network with Grid Topology (Kalman-Filter를 이용한 음성트래픽 예측 및 회선 교환 격자 구조망 성능 평가)

  • 문경덕;이정규
    • The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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    • v.17 no.5
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    • pp.452-459
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    • 1992
  • In this paper, we have estimated voice traffics using Kalman-filtering for upcoming years and evaluated performance of a grid topology circuit switched network using above outcomes. Since measurement errors and modeling errors are considered in Kalman-filtering, the system is estimated more accurately than by using any other estimation methods. A grid topology circuit switched network has alternative routing paths, therefore it is more reliable than any other networks. In this paper, we have calculated the call blocking probabilities, which is the key measuremens of performance evaluation in circuit switched networks. by using estimated voice traffics for upcoming years.

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Information Security of Organization and Employees in Social Exchange Perspective : Using Structure-Conduct-Outcome Framework (SCO Framework을 적용한 조직과 조직원의 정보보안 준수 관계 연구)

  • Hwang, In-Ho;Kim, Sanghyun
    • The Journal of Information Systems
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.105-129
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    • 2019
  • Purpose Issues related to information security have been a crucial topic of interest to researchers and practitioners in the IT/IS field. This study develops a research model based on a Structure-Conduct-Outcome (SCO) framework for the social exchange relationship between employees and organizations regarding information security. Design/methodology/approach In applying an SCO framework to information security, structure and conduct are activities imposed on employees within an organizational context; outcomes are activities that protect information security from an employee. Data were collected from 438 employees working in manufacturing and service firms currently implementing an information security policy in South Korea. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS 22.0 is used to test the validation of the measurement model and the proposed casual relationships in the research model. Findings The results demonstrate support for the relationships between predicting variables in organization structure (security policy and physical security system) and the outcome variables in organization conduct (top management support, security education program, and security visibility). Results confirm that the three variables in organization conduct had a positive effect on individual outcome (security knowledge and compliance intention).

Analysis of Smoking and Smoking Cessation Related Nursing Research in Korea and its Future Direction (국내 흡연과 금연관련 간호 연구동향 및 미래 방향)

  • Shin, Sung-Rae
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.36 no.2
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    • pp.415-425
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    • 2006
  • Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the contents and trend of smoking and smoking cessation related nursing research in Korea and to suggest the directions for future research. Method: Eight nursing professional Journals published by the Korean Academic Nursing Society and by 7 - adult, community, psychiatric, fundamental, obstetrics, pediatrics, administrative- nursing societies from beginning edition to October 2005 were selected. They were examined for the proportion of published research, participants, research designs, key words, measurement tools, and the intervention outcomes in the case of the experimental research. Result: Of the research analyzed, 87 studies were smoking and smoking cessation related research. The Journals, which had published the most number of smoking and smoking cessation research were J of Korean Academic Society, J of Korean Adult Nursing Society, J of Korean Community Nursing Society. The most popular research design was an descriptive design. The major concepts studied were related psychosocial variables. Among 87 studies, only 11 were experimental research. Conclusion: Research on smoking and smoking cessation in the nursing discipline are increasing. However more research to test the effectiveness of nursing intervention programs are needed.

Effects of Individual Reminiscence Therapy on Older Adults' Depression, Morale and Quality of Life (개인회상요법이 노인의 우울, 사기 및 삶의 질에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim Kwuy-Bun;Yun Ji-Hyeoun;Sok So-Hyune R.
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.36 no.5
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    • pp.813-820
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    • 2006
  • Purpose: This study examined the effects of individual reminiscence therapy on older adults' depression, morale, and the quality of life. Methods: The design was a single-group pre-test and post-test study. Subjects consisted of 31 older adults from two senior centers and a welfare center in Seoul. Individual reminiscence therapy was applied to study subjects four times, once a week for an hour at each time. Measurement tools were the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form Korea (GDSSF-K) for depression, Mun Ae-ri's (1996) scale for morale, and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) for the quality of life. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and pearson correlation. Results: The application of individual reminiscence therapy reduced older adults' depression (t=-5.65, p=.000), and enhanced older adults' morale (t=4.65, p=.000). The application of individual reminiscence therapy improved older adults' quality of life (t=5.00, p=.000). Conclusion: Findings of the study suggest that individual reminiscence therapy may be applied as a nursing intervention that contributesto the improvement of older adults' quality of life, reduces their depression, and enhances their morale.

CEP-CFP Relationship and Its Moderators : A Meta-analysis (환경성과와 재무성과 간의 관련성과 조절요인에 관한 메타분석)

  • Yook, Keun-Hyo
    • Journal of Environmental Policy
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.25-47
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    • 2014
  • We examined the heterogeneity in the financial -environmental performance nexus, carrying out a meta-analysis of 48 outcomes from 26 empirical studies. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was performed in this study to facilitate the analysis of the structural relationship among an array of study characteristics. As expected, the results of analyzing the multiple studies of the general corporate environmental performance and financial performance link suggested a significant positive relationship. Some of the results of the moderator analysis suggest that empirical studies using self-reporting measurement and structural equation method benefited from environmental performance as much as or more than the archival and regression method.

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