• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.28 no.1D
• /
• pp.107-117
• /
• 2008

Private financing is playing an increasing role in public infrastructure construction projects worldwide. However, private investors/operators are exposed to the financial risk of low profitability due to the inaccurate estimation of facility demand, operation income, maintenance costs, etc. From the operator's perspective, a sound and thorough financial feasibility study is required to establish the appropriate capital structure of a project. Operators tend to reduce the equity amount to minimize the level of risk exposure, while creditors persist to raise it, in an attempt to secure a sufficient level of financial involvement from the operators. Therefore, it is important for creditors and operators to reach an agreement for a balanced capital structure that synthetically considers both profitability and repayment capacity. This paper presents an optimal capital structure model for successful private infrastructure investment. This model finds the optimized point where the profitability is balanced with the repayment capacity, with the use of the concept of utility function and multi-objective GA (Generic Algorithm)-based optimization. A case study is presented to show the validity of the model and its verification. The research conclusions provide a proper capital structure for privately-financed infrastructure projects through a proposed multi-objective model.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.473-489
• /
• 2018

Our society has an obligation and responsibility to respect and protect the character of the child. Recently, however, Korean society has been suffering from child abuse and abuse that is pouring out every day. In order to protect these children, the child protection system and the judicial system should be fundamentally child-friendly. The CASA(Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteer program, which is being held in the United States with such a concern, is a continuing program of court attendance and emotional support services for abused children throughout the United States. In Korea, however, there are many similar programs such as mentoring projects, dream co-supporters project similar to the CASA program in various organizations of the region and the enactment of the Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse increases the involvement of the public system in child abuse. There is also an increased awareness of children's rights and strengthened government intervention through active monitoring to prevent recurrence of child abuse. These changes in the Korean society should be actively reviewed by the US CASA program and settled as a national project in the Korean society so that the system of protecting the safety and rights of the victims of child abuse will be established. It is anticipated to be a way to prevent social problems from occurring in advance.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.736-745
• /
• 2020

Objective: To identify the initial chest computed tomography (CT) findings and clinical characteristics associated with the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Materials and Methods: Baseline CT scans and clinical and laboratory data of 72 patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia (39 men, 46.2 ± 15.9 years) were retrospectively analyzed. Baseline CT findings including lobar distribution, presence of ground glass opacities, consolidation, linear opacities, and lung severity score were evaluated. The outcome event was recovery with hospital discharge. The time from symptom onset to discharge or the end of follow-up (for those remained hospitalized) was recorded. Data were censored in events such as death or discharge without recovery. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to explore the association between initial CT, clinical or laboratory findings, and discharge with recovery, whereby hazard ratio (HR) values < 1 indicated a lower rate of discharge at four weeks and longer time until discharge. Results: Thirty-two patients recovered and were discharged during the study period with a median length of admission of 16 days (range, 9 to 25 days), while the rest remained hospitalized at the end of this study (median, 17.5 days; range, 4 to 27 days). None died during the study period. After controlling for age, onset time, lesion characteristics, number of lung lobes affected, and bilateral involvement, the lung severity score on baseline CT (> 4 vs. ≤ 4 [reference]: adjusted HR = 0.41 [95% confidence interval, CI = 0.18-0.92], p = 0.031) and initial lymphocyte count (reduced vs. normal or elevated [reference]: adjusted HR = 0.14 [95% CI = 0.03-0.60], p = 0.008) were two significant independent factors that influenced recovery and discharge. Conclusion: Lung severity score > 4 and reduced lymphocyte count at initial evaluation were independently associated with a significantly lower rate of recovery and discharge and extended hospitalization in patients admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.75-111
• /
• 2020

The civilian drone world has evolved in recent years from one dominated by hobbyists to growing involvement by companies seeking to profit from unmanned flight in everything from infrastructure inspections to drone deliveries that are already subject to regulations. Drone flight under the property right relation with the land owner would be deemed legal on the condition that expeditious and innocent passage of drone flight over the land be assured. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) enshrines the concept of innocent passage through a coastal state's territorial sea. Passage is innocent so long as it is not prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the coastal state. A vessel in innocent passage may traverse the coastal state's territorial sea continuously and expeditiously, not stopping or anchoring except in force majeure situations. However, the disturbances caused by drone flight may be removed, which is defined as infringement against the constitutional interest of personal rights. For example, aggressive infringement against privacy and personal freedom may be committed by drone more easily than ever before, and than other means. The cost-benefit analysis, however, has been recognjzed as effective criteria regarding the removal of disturbances or injunction decision. Applying that analysis, the civil action against such infringement may not find suitable basis for making a good case. Because the removal of such infringement through civil actions may result in only the deletion of journal article. The injunction of drone flight before taking the information would not be obtainable through civil action, Therefore, more detailed and meticulous regulation and criteria in public law domain may be preferable than civil action, at present time. It may be suitable for legal stability and drone industry to set up the detailed public regulations restricting the free flight of drone capable of acquiring visual information amounting to the infrigement against the right of personal information security.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.10-19
• /
• 2020

The park program can adeptly cope with the diversification of leisure needs in accordance with the changing times. The program also makes the relationship between the users and the park itself closer. For this reason, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has operated a variety of programs, beginning with the Botanical Class Program at the Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden in 1997. The government additionally began to organize park programs by establishing the Park and Leisure Department and three Park Greenery Offices. However, research on park programs is mainly focused on park users. Therefore, this study intends to reveal the structure of the programs by studying the program operation. The specific purposes of this study are '1. Review the institutional characteristics that underlie the operation of the Park Program in Seoul by examining the relevant laws, the operation organizations, and the personnel composition, 2. Analyze the operation methods, such as procurement and the execution of the program, operation costs, and public-private cooperation methods, etc. 3. Analyze the composition and contents of the program from 2015 to 2017, and process and identify the relationship between the structure of the program operation and the program itself.' Summarizing the results obtained from the study, as far as the structure of the first program operation, the support laws were not systematic, but the operating organization was working to establish a system. The second characteristic of the operation is that most of the budget was funded by local governments, but the level of citizen involvement was low. Third, when we looked at the characteristics of the program, the number of programs increased, but they were focused on a specific theme and few programs actively used the park facilities. Based on the results, three tasks can be proposed. The first is that the 'Act on Parks and Green Spaces' should include the concepts and support for park programs. Second, there is a need to change from the ideas of the quantitative increase of programs to qualitative improvements. Lastly, it is necessary to reorganize the Green Seoul Bureau of the Seoul Metropolitan Government into a citizen-led and leisure-oriented organization to promote the park leisure culture. This study has significance, as it was conducted with a service provider, not a program user, unlike many previous park program-related studies. The results of this study will be able to contribute not only to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, but also to other local governments to suggest the direction of the management and the operation of the park for the consumer, and consequently, it will help prepare the long-term vision of parks as the closest leisure location for most citizens.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.335-340
• /
• 2010

The paper describes the objectives of Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) project, focusing on procedural and practical aspects. YSLME is a highly productive sea yet possibly one of the most impacted large marine ecosystems, in terms of anthropogenic stressors, due the enormous coastal population. The aim of the YSLME project is the reduction of ecosystem stress through identification of the environmental problems in the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) that are then addressed in the Strategic Action Programme (SAP). One of the major problems found to be affecting biological diversity is habitat modification through wetland reclamation, conversion and degradation. Since the early 1900's more than 40% of intertidal wetlands have been reclaimed in Korea, and 60% of Chinese coastal wetlands have been converted or reclaimed. Damaging fishing practices, pollution and coastal eutrophication have further degraded the coastal environment reducing the biological diversity. To combat this loss, the YSLME project has mounted a public awareness campaign to raise environmental consciousness targeted at all different levels of society, from politicians at parliamentary workshops, local government officer training events, scientific conferences and involvement of scientists in the project research and reporting, to university and high school students in our visiting internship programmes and environmental camps. We have also built networks through the Yellow Sea Partnership and by liaising and working with other environmental organizations and NGOs. NGO's are recognised as important partners in the environmental conservation as they already have extensive local networks that can be lacking in international organisations. Effective links have been built with many of these NGOs through the small grants programme. Working with WWF's YSESP project and other academic and research institutions we have conducted our own biodiversity assessments that have contributed to the science-based development of the SAP for the YSLME. Our regional targets for biodiversity outlined in the SAP include: Improvements in the densities, distributions and genetic diversity of current populations of all living organisms including endangered and endemic species; Maintenance of habitats according to standards and regulations of 2007; and a reduction in the risk of introduced species. Endorsement of the SAP and its successful implementation, during the proposed second phase of the YSLEM project, will ensure that biological diversity is here to benefit future generations.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.185-194
• /
• 1999

Background: NF-$\kappa$B is a characteristic transcriptional factor whose functional activity is determined by post-translational modification of protein and subsequent change of subcellular localization. The involvement of the NF-$\kappa$B family of the transcription factors in the control of such vital cellular functions as immune response, acute phase reaction, replication of certain viruses and development and differentiation of cells has been clearly documented in many previous studies. Several recent observations have suggested that the NF-$\kappa$B might also be involved in the carcinogenesis of some hematological and solid tumors. Investigating the possibility that members of the NF-$\kappa$B family participate in the molecular control of malignant cell transformation could provide invaluable information on both molecular pathogenesis and cancer-related gene therapy. Method: To determine the expression patterns and functional roles of NF-$\kappa$B family transcription factors in human lung cancer cell lines NCI-H792, NCI-H709, NCI-H226 and NCI-H157 were analysed by western blot, using their respective antibodies. The nuclear and the cytoplasmic fraction of protein extract of these cell lines were subsequently obtained and NF-$\kappa$B expression in each fraction was again determined by western blot analysis. The type of NF-$\kappa$B complex present in the cells was determined by immunoprecipitation. To detect the binding ability of cell-line nuclear extracts to the KB consensus oligonucleotide, electrophoretic mobility shift assay(EMSA) was performed. Results: In the cultured human lung cancer cell lines tested, transcription factors of the NF-$\kappa$B family, namely the p50 and p65 subunit were expressed and localized in the nuclear fraction of the cellular extract by western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry. Immunoprecipitation assay showed that in the cell, the p50 and p65 subunits made NF-$\kappa$B complex. Finally it was shown by Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay(EMSA) that nuclear extracts of lung cancer cell lines are able to bind to NF-$\kappa$B consensus DNA sequences. Conclusion: These data suggest that in human lung cancer cell lines the NF-$\kappa$B p50/p65 complex might be activated. and strengthen the hypothesis that NF-$\kappa$B family transcription factors might be involved in the carcinogenesis of human lung cancer.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.71-96
• /
• 2011

Within the traditional medical delivery system, patients residing in medically vulnerable areas, those with body movement difficulties, and nursing facility residents have had limited access to good healthcare services. However, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provides us with a convenient and useful means of overcoming distance and time constraints. ICT is integrated with biomedical science and technology in a way that offers a new high-quality medical service. As a result, rapid technological advancement is expected to play a pivotal role bringing about innovation in a wide range of medical service areas, such as medical management, testing, diagnosis, and treatment; offering new and improved healthcare services; and effecting dramatic changes in current medical services. The increase in aging population and chronic diseases has caused an increase in medical expenses. In response to the increasing demand for efficient healthcare services, a telehealth service based on ICT is being emphasized on a global level. Telehealth services have been implemented especially in pilot projects and system development and technological research. With the service about to be implemented in earnest, it is necessary to study its overall acceptance by consumers, which is expected to contribute to the development and activation of a variety of services. In this sense, the study aims at positively examining the structural relationship among the acceptance factors for telehealth services based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were collected by showing audiovisual material on telehealth services to online panels and requesting them to respond to a structured questionnaire sheet, which is known as the information acceleration method. Among the 1,165 adult respondents, 608 valid samples were finally chosen, while the remaining were excluded because of incomplete answers or allotted time overrun. In order to test the reliability and validity of the assessment scale items, we carried out reliability and factor analyses, and in order to explore the causal relation among potential variables, we conducted a structural equation modeling analysis using AMOS 7.0 and SPSS 17.0. The research outcomes are as follows. First, service quality, innovativeness of medical technology, and social influence were shown to affect perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the telehealth service, which was statistically significant, and the two factors had a positive impact on willingness to accept the telehealth service. In addition, social influence had a direct, significant effect on intention to use, which is paralleled by the TAM used in previous research on technology acceptance. This shows that the research model proposed in the study effectively explains the acceptance of the telehealth service. Second, the research model reveals that information privacy concerns had a insignificant impact on perceived ease of use of the telehealth service. From this, it can be gathered that the concerns over information protection and security are reduced further due to advancements in information technology compared to the initial period in the information technology industry, and thus the improvement in quality of medical services appeared to ensure that information privacy concerns did not act as a prohibiting factor in the acceptance of the telehealth service. Thus, if other factors have an enormous impact on ease of use and usefulness, concerns over these results in the initial period of technology acceptance may become irrelevant. However, it is clear that users' information privacy concerns, as other studies have revealed, is a major factor affecting technology acceptance. Thus, caution must be exercised while interpreting the result, and further study is required on the issue. Numerous information technologies with outstanding performance and innovativeness often attract few consumers. A revised bill for those urgently in need of telehealth services is about to be approved in the national assembly. As telemedicine is implemented between doctors and patients, a wide range of systems that will improve the quality of healthcare services will be designed. In this sense, the study on the consumer acceptance of telehealth services is meaningful and offers strong academic evidence. Based on the implications, it can be expected to contribute to the activation of telehealth services. Further study is needed to assess the acceptance factors for telehealth services, such as motivation to remain healthy, health care involvement, knowledge on health, and control of health-related behavior, in order to develop unique services according to the categorization of customers based on health factors. In addition, further study may focus on various theoretical cognitive behavior models other than the TAM, such as the health belief model.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.331-336
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this research was to collect basic data to develop a project of oral health that fits for particularity for parent cooperating daycare facilities for infants and children. For this purpose, we gave out the self administrated surveys to the teachers at parent cooperating daycare facilities, and analyzed surveys made by teachers. The results of this research could be summarized as follows ;1.The snacks and drinks provided by parent cooperating daycare center tend to provide more non-cariogenic snacks and drinks such as fruit, vegetables and fruit juice. 2. Activities related to dental health was done in parents corporative daycare center are: Children participate in the activities and training related to food (87.9%), catering staff receive education about nutrition (78.2%), avoiding sugary food at a birthday party (74.0%), annual dental health check-up by a dentist (33.5%). 3. 88.9% of teachers agreed parents' involvement of developing policies of oral health. 4. The percentages of guiding principles based on documentation in the topic of the oral heath were: Involving parents in the formation of the pre-school group's health policy (47.8%), advising the needs of a child for dental service to parents (44.9%), coping with a situation where a child injured his or her teeth (44.9%).

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.24-37
• /
• 2012

In this study, Community Garden of various national and international practices trends to an advanced research, the concept of community garden participated with a group operation out of initiative to produce safety food while securing space for the community, ensuring the area that has gone through a new form of active secure urban green space plan, urban renewal movement was defined as the mean. Furthermore, for the purpose of improving the poor welfare environment by attempting to experimentally make a community garden of a disabled welfare house rooftop and how to target its planning and construction process, partnership involvement, business processes have been investigated, such as cost sharing. The whole process including a budget for development of this case was conducted by the Busan Green Trust. Standard Chartered (SC) First Bank's 50% fund share by community chest, participation of volunteers, support of Busan City and Saba-gu, outside of that, sharing parts or trial to participate by diverse partnership of enterprise, public corporation and laboratory, these are the key in developing community garden's model. Established community garden places resulted food production to users of welfare center for the disabled, participating urban agricultural experience program, horticultural therapy, complex community chapter and cultural center. Furthermore, we could find the meaning of rooftop community garden in the point that it is a low cost garden by applying movable and unmovable planters. This study is profitable for improving urban environment, ensuring community chapter and urban green areas, regenerating a city to develop experimental community garden model by using a welfare house rooftop.