• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.16-27
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• 2018

Purposes: The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between discrimination experience and quality of life among non-regular workers in hospitals. Methodology: The data was collected from 292 employees of 7 university hospitals using a standardized questionnaire. In research methodology, the data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, pearson's correlation, multiple regression analysis. Findings: In case of non-regular workers, inequality of distribution, position unfairness, employment instability, number of discrimination experiences were found to have a negative(-) effect on quality of life. Religion, income in general characteristics had a significant positive(+) effect on quality of life. And the discrimination of non-regular woman workers was higher and the quality of life was lower than that of men. Practical Implications: These results showed that hospitals needed active efforts to create non-regular woman-friendly work environment. In addition, active religious activities gave emotional stability and positive effect to no-regular workers.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2019

Sensory perception of food/beverage products is one of the most important quality factors to determine consumer acceptability and thus sensory discrimination methodology has been a vital tool for quality management. Signal detection theory(SDT) and Thurstonian modeling provide the most advanced psychometric approach to modeling various discrimination methods. In these theories, perceptual and cognitive decisional factors are considered so that, a fundamental measure of sensory difference (d') can be computed, independent of test methods used. In this paper, sensory discrimination analysis based on SDT and Thurstonian modeling is introduced for more accurate and systematic applications of sensory and hedonic quality management in industry. Ways to realize the statistical power and relative sensitivity of sensory discrimination methods theorized in SDT and Thurstonian modeling in practice, are also discussed by using a case study of the Nongshim quality management program for drinking water in which SDT A-Not A test methodology was further optimized.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.29-37
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• 2019

Textile quality management targets the physical properties of fabrics and the subjective discriminations of color and fitting. Color is the most representative quality factor that consumers can use to evaluate quality levels without any instruments. For this reason, quantification using a color discrimination device has been used for statistical quality management in the textile industry. However, small and medium-sized domestic textile manufacturers use only visual inspection for color discrimination. As a result, color discrimination is different based on the inspectors' individual tendencies and work procedures. In this research, we want to develop a textile industry-friendly quality management method, evaluating the possibility of rapid color discrimination using a digital imaging device, which is one of the office-automation instruments. The results show that an imaging process-based color discrimination method is highly correlated with conventional color discrimination instruments ($R^2=0.969$), and is also applicable to field discrimination of the manufacturing process, or for different lots. Moreover, it is possible to recognize quality management factors by analyzing color components, ${\Delta}L$, ${\Delta}a$, ${\Delta}b$. We hope that our rapid discrimination method will be a substitute technique for conventional color discrimination instruments via elaboration and optimization.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 1999

This study was performed as a basic research for establishing an objective quality evaluation method on whole bulbs of garlic. The size of a whole bulb of garlic, the number and the uniformity of complete individual garlics, and the existence of bad individual garlics in the whole bulb of garlic were selected as quality grading factors. Quality discrimination algorithms with machine vision techniques were developed and verified for the four factors based on morphological and physical features of whole bulbs of garlic. Based on the results, the size discrimination by the projected area of a whole bulbs of garlic suggested four grading levels and the algorithm for predicting the number of complete individual garlics based on the peaks on its projected boundary showed ${\pm}$0.78 prediction error. In addition, the uniformity represented by coefficient of variation could be divided into four levels, but the algorithm for discriminating the existence of bad individual garlics in a whole bulb of garlic was not effective.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2020

Purpose - This paper studies the welfare impacts of behavior-based price discrimination (BBPD) when firms are asymmetric in quality improvement costs. Design/methodology/approach - To this end, we consider a differentiated duopoly model with an inherited market share, where firms first make quality decisions and then compete in prices according to the pricing scheme, namely, uniform pricing or BBPD. Findings - We show that BBPD increases social welfare relative to uniform pricing if the firms' cost gap is large enough. This is because BBPD induces more consumers to buy a high-quality product than under uniform pricing, and because a low-cost firm's profit loss from BBPD decreases as the cost difference increases. Research implications or Originality - Our analysis offers policy implications for markets where BBPD raises antitrust concerns, and quality competition prevails.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.7-27
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• 2006

This study explored the discrimination of synthesized English vowel pairs by twenty-seven American and Korean, male and female listeners. The average formant values of nine monophthongs produced by ten American English male speakers were employed to synthesize the vowels. Then, subjects were instructed explicitly to respond to AX discrimination tasks in which the standard vowel was followed by another one with the increment or decrement of the original formant values. The highest and lowest formant values of the same vowel quality were collected and compared to examine patterns of vowel discrimination. Results showed that the American and Korean groups discriminated the vowel pairs almost identically and their center formant frequency values of the high and low boundary fell almost exactly on those of the standards. In addition, the acceptable range of the same vowel quality was similar among the language and gender groups. The acceptable thresholds of each vowel formed oval to maintain perceptual contrast from adjacent vowels. The results suggested that nonnative speakers with high English proficiency could match native speakers' performance in discriminating vowel pairs with a shorter inter-stimulus interval. Pedagogical implications of those findings are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.581-588
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy of visual discrimination of soft fat pork carcasses when subjecting carcasses to quality grade evaluations. In addition, the quality of the longissimus dorsi muscle from soft fat carcasses was investigated. Iodine values of back fat from soft fat carcasses evaluated by visual discrimination were significantly higher than those from firm fat carcass (p < 0.05). However, those values were lower than the standard for soft fat (iodine value = 70). There were no significant differences in linoleic acid content, b-values, and L-values (p < 0.05) of back fat between firm and soft fat carcasses evaluated by visual discrimination. Color of longissimus dorsi muscle from soft fat carcasses (iodine value higher than 70) was not different from that of firm fat carcass (iodine value lower than 70). Except for linoleic acid, there were no significant differences in any fatty acid contents between longissimus dorsi muscles from firm fat and soft fat carcasses. Monounsaturated fatty acid content of longissimus dorsi muscles from soft fat carcasses was significantly lower than those of firm fat carcass (p < 0.05). However polyunsaturated fatty acid content was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in longissimus dorsi muscles from soft fat carcasses. In conclusion, visual discrimination results for soft fat pork carcass were inaccurate. Therefore, other indicators should be required to evaluate soft fat pork carcasses. In contrast, the quality of longissimus dorsi muscle from soft fat carcasses was superior in terms of fatty acid composition compared with that of firm fat carcasses.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.657-663
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• 2012

Recently, by increasing of devices which are sensitive to power quality, the deterioration of power quality has been accelerated. For this reason, the social and economic losses are increased. So not only correct measurement and evaluation, but also countermeasure for improvement of power quality is surely necessary for both electric power supplier and consumer. In this paper, the discrimination algorithm for events and variation occurred in distribution systems using S-transform is proposed. Firstly, we review for events and variations that occur in distribution system. Next, we simulate events and variations on various conditions using ElectroMagnetic Transient Program(EMTP). For the simulation, the IEEE 13 Node Test Feeder and KEPCO's distribution system is modeled. Finally, for the analysis, a modified wavelet transform known as S-transform is adopted to find out the characteristics of each events and variations.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.111-119
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of discrimination on thereutilization intentionfor dental services among patients who visited the dental clinic. The questionnaire was administered to 432 patients aged 20 years or older who visited Dental Clinic in J city, Chungcheongbuk-do. Day to March 31, 2015, and the following results were obtained. The important variables that affected the reutilization intention were quality of medics, kindness, hospital image, convenience, service value and discrimination of dental care service. These variables explained 78.2% of the aggregate. Thehigher the quality of service value, medics, environment facilities, convenience, kindness, and hospital image, the more significant was the relevance with reutilization intention. As well as high-educated respondents, ones with monthly household income amounted to 4 million won, group of white-collar job, people who visited for implant treatment and ones by introduction of acquaintances. Therefore the dental care service providers are required to take effortsto recognize the discrimination and to reduce it through good quality of dental care service.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.95-102
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• 1999

This study used questionnaires to investigate the safety awareness for imported foods by 365 male and female adults in Taejon. The results of the study were as follow : By factor analysis, the subjects' behaviors and awareness of the imported food was grouped into 3 factors such as 'health and quality factor', 'purchasing factor' and 'contamination factor'. 'Health and quality factor' and 'purchasing factor' were not recognized negatively by the subjects, moreover' contamination factor' was recognized very highly. The subjects' concern and worry about the imported food was also very high. The marital status, education level, nutriton knowledge adn recognition level of contamination by pesticides and heavy metals of foods partially affected the recognitio level of imported foods. The major selection criteria of imported food were distribution period(36.3%), price(28.8%) and purchasing experience(17.3%). The imported food mean discrimination score was 8.4±3.1 out of 13. The worst discriminatio score was red pepper. The subjects' experiences with imported foods selection affected the most instead of education level or nutrition knowledge. The higher discrimination score group more negatively recognized imported food and contamination recognition level was higher whereas the lowerdiscrimination score group more positively recognized the purchasing frequency and with to buy more easily. But both groups desired to reinforce contamination control. The better discrimination score of imported food pooring recognized sanitation concerns(p<0.05), quality(p<0.05), cooking convenience(p<0.01), desire for more variety(p<0.05), and the higher contamination recognition level(p<0.05) and desire to reinforce contamination control(p<0.01).