• Title/Summary/Keyword: Region-Related Information

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Sensory Information Processing

  • Yoshimoto, Chiyoshi
    • Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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    • v.6 no.2
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 1985
  • The wall shear stress in the vicinity of end-to end anastomoses under steady flow conditions was measured using a flush-mounted hot-film anemometer(FMHFA) probe. The experimental measurements were in good agreement with numerical results except in flow with low Reynolds numbers. The wall shear stress increased proximal to the anastomosis in flow from the Penrose tubing (simulating an artery) to the PTFE: graft. In flow from the PTFE graft to the Penrose tubing, low wall shear stress was observed distal to the anastomosis. Abnormal distributions of wall shear stress in the vicinity of the anastomosis, resulting from the compliance mismatch between the graft and the host artery, might be an important factor of ANFH formation and the graft failure. The present study suggests a correlation between regions of the low wall shear stress and the development of anastomotic neointimal fibrous hyperplasia(ANPH) in end-to-end anastomoses. 30523 T00401030523 ^x Air pressure decay(APD) rate and ultrafiltration rate(UFR) tests were performed on new and saline rinsed dialyzers as well as those roused in patients several times. C-DAK 4000 (Cordis Dow) and CF IS-11 (Baxter Travenol) reused dialyzers obtained from the dialysis clinic were used in the present study. The new dialyzers exhibited a relatively flat APD, whereas saline rinsed and reused dialyzers showed considerable amount of decay. C-DAH dialyzers had a larger APD(11.70$\pm$1.32mmHg/min)compared to CF dialyzers(4.32$\pm$0.55mmHg/min)(p<0.05). However, there was no observable difference in the UFR between the two dialyzers. Neither APD nor UFR showed any significant increase with an increasing number of reuses for up to more than 20reuses. A substantial number of failures observed in APD(larger than 20mmHe/min)on the reused dialyzers(2 out of 40 CP and S out 26 C-DAK) were attributed to the Possible damage on the fibers. The CF 15-11 HFDs which failed APD test did not show changes in the UFR compared to normal dialyzers indicating that APD is a more sensitive test than UFR test to evaluate the integrity of the fibers. 30527 T00401030527 ^x For quantitative measurement of reflected light from a clinical diagnostic strip, a prototype old reflectance photometer was designed. The strip loader and cassette were made to obtain more accurate reflectance parameters. The strip was illuminated at 45˚c through optical fiber and the intensity of reflected light was determined at rectanguLat angle using a photodiode. The kubelka-munk coefficient and reflection optical density were determined ar four different wavelengths(500, 550, 570 and 610nm) for blood glucose strip. For higher concentration than 300mg/41 about glucose, a saturation state of abforbance was observed at 500, 550 and 570nm. The correlation between glucose concentration and parameters was the best at 610nm. 30535 T00401030535 ^x Radiation-induced fibrosarcoma tumors were grown on the flanks of C3H mice. The mice were divided into two groups. One group was injected with Photofrin II, intravenously (2.5mg/kg body weight). The other group received no Photofrin II. Mice from both groups were irradialed for approximately 15 minutes at 100, 300, or 500 mW/cm2 with the argon (488nm/514.5 nm), dye(628nm) and gold vapor (pulsed 628 nm) laser light. A photosensitizer behaved as an added absorber. Under our experimental conditions, the presence of Photolfrin II increased surface temperature by at least 40% and the temperature rise due to 300 mW/cm2 irradiation exceeded values for hyperthermia. Light and temperature distributions with depth were estimated by a computer model. The model demonstrated the influence of wavelength on the thermal process and proved to be a valuable tool to investigate internal temperature rise. 30536 T00401030536 ^x We investigated the structural geometry of thirty-eight Korean femurs. The purpose of this study is to identify major geometrical differences between Korean femurs 3nd others that we believe belong to Caucasians so that we would be able to get insights into the femoral component design that fits Asians including Koreans. We utilized computerized tomography (CT) images of femurs extracted from cadavers. The CT images were transformed into bitmap data by using a film scanner, and then analyzed by using a commercially available software called Image v.1.0 and a Macintosh IIci computer.The resulting data were compared with already published data. The major results show that the geometry of the Korean femurs is significantly different from that of Caucasians: (1) the anteversion angle and the canal flare index are greater by the amount of approximately 8˚ and 0.5, respectively, (2) the shape of the isthmus cross section is more round, and (3) the distance between the teaser trochanter and the proximal border of the isthmus is shelter by about 15 mm. The results suggested that the femoral component suitable for Asians should be different from the currently-used components designed and manufactured mostly by European or American companies. 30537 T00401030537 ^x It is well known that nonlinear propagation characteristics of the wave in the tissue may give very useful information for the medical diagnoisis. In this paper, a new method to detect nonlinear propagation characteristics of the internal vibration in the tissue for the low frequency mechanical vibration by using bispectral analysis is proposed. In the method, low frequency vibration of f0( = 100Hz) is applied on the surface of the object, and the waveform of the internal vibration x (t) is measured from Doppler frequency modulation of silmultaneously transmitted probing ultrasonic waves. Then, the bispectra of the signal x (t) at the frequencies (f0, f0) and (f0, 2f0) are calculated to estimate the nonlinear propagation characteristics as their magnitude ratio, w here since bispectrum is free from the gaussian additive noise we can get the value with high S/N. Basic experimental system is constructed by using 3.0 MHz probing ultrasonic waves and the several experiments are carried out for some phantoms. Results show the superiority of the proposed method to the conventional method using power spectrum and also its usefulness for the tissue characterization. 30541 T00401030541 ^x This paper describes the implementation of a computerized radial pulse diagnosis by aids of a clinical expert. On this base, we composed of the radial pulse diagnosis system in korean traditional medicine. The system composed of a radial pulse wave detection system and a radial pulse diagnosis system. With a detection system, we detected Inyoung and Cheongu radial pulse wave and processed it. Then, we have got the characteristic parameters of radial pulse wave and also quantified that according to the method of Inyoung-Cheongu Comparison Radial Pulse Diagnosis. We defined the jugement standard of radial pulse diagnosis system and then we confirmed the possibility for realization of automatic radial pulse diagnosis in korean traditional medicine. 30545 T00401030545 ^x Microspheres are expected to be applied to biomedical areas such as solid-phase immunoassays, drug delivery systems, immunomagnetic cell separation. To synthesize microspheres for biomedical application, "two stage shot growth method" was developed. The uniformity ratio of synthesized microspheres was always smaller than 1.05. And the surface charge density (or the number of ionizable functional groups) of the microspheres synthesized by "two stage shot growth method" was 6~13 times higher than that of the microspheres synthesized by conventional seeded batch copolymerization. As a previous step for biomedical application, adsorption experiments of bovine albumin on microspheres were carried out under various conditions. The maximum adsorbed amount was obtained in the neighborhood of pH 4.5. Isoelectric point of bovine albumin is pH 5.0, so experimental result shows that it shifted to acid area. The adsorption isotherm was obtained, the plateau region was always reached at 2.Og/L (bulk concentration of bovine albumin).The effect of the kind and the amount of surface functional group was also examined. 30575 T00401030575 ^x A medical image workstation was developed using multimedia technique. The system based on PC-486DX was designed to acquire medical images produced by medical imaging instruments and related audio information, that is, doctors' reporting results. Input information was processed and analyzed, then the results were presented in the form of graph and animation. All the informations of the system were hierarchically related with the image as the apex. Processing and analysis algorithms were implemented so that the diagnostic accuracy could be improved. The diagnosed information can be transferred for patient diagnosis through LAN(local area network). 30592 T00401030592 ^x In the conventional infrared imaging system, complex infrared lens systems are usually used for directing collimated narrow infrared beams into the high speed 2-dimensional optic scanner. In this paper, a simple reflective infrared optic system with a 2-dimensional optic scanner is proposed for the realization of medical infrared thermography system. It has been experimentally proven that the intfrared thermography system composed of the proposed optic system has the temperature resolution of 0.1˚c under the spatial resolution of lmrad, the image matrix size of 256 X 240, and tile imaging time of 4 seconds. 30593 T00401030593 ^x In this paper, MIIS (Medical Image Information System) has been designed and implemented using INGRES RDBMS, which is based on a client/server architecture. The implemented system allows users to register and retrieve patient information, medical images and diagnostic reports. It also provides the function to display these information on workstation windows simultaneously by using the designed menu-driven graphic user interface. The medical image compression/decompression techniques are implemented and integrated into the medical image database system for the efficient data storage and the fast access through the network. 30594 T00401030594 ^x In this paper, computerized BEAM was implemented for the space domain analysis of EEG. Trans-formation from temporal summation to two-dimensional mappings is formed by 4 nearest point inter-polaton method. Methods of representation of BEAM are two. One is dot density method which classify brain electrical potential 9 levels by dot density of gray levels and the other is colour method which classify brain electrical 12 levels by red-green colours. In this BEAM, instantaneous change and average energy distribution over any arbitrary time interval of brain electrical activity could be observed and analyzed easily. In the frequency domain, the distribution of energy spectrum of a special band can easily be distinguished normality and abnormality. 30608 T00401030608 ^x Laboratory information system (LIS) is a key tool to manage laboratory data in clinical pathology. Our department has developed an information system for routine hematology using down-sized computer system. We have used an IBM 486 compatible PC with 16MB main memory, 210 MB hard disk drive, 9 RS-232C port and 24 pin dot printer. The operating system and database management system were SCO UNIX and SCO foxbase, respectively. For program development, we used Xbase language provided by SCO foxbase. The C language was used for interface purpose. To make the system use friendly, pull-down menu was used. The system connected to our hospital information system via application program interface (API), so the information related to patient and request details is automatically transmitted to our computer. Our system interfaced with fwd complete blood count analyzers(Sysmex NE-8000 and Coulter STKS) for unidirectional data tansmission from analyzer to computer. The authors suggests that this system based on down-sized computer could provide a progressive approach to total LIS based on local area network, and the implemented system could serve as a model for other hospital's LIS for routine hematology. 30609 T00401030609 ^x To develop an artificial bone substitute that is gradually degraded and replaced by the regenerated natural bone, the authors designed a composite that is consisted of calcium phosphate and collagen. To use as the structural matrix of the composite, collagen was purified from human umbilical cord. The obtained collagen was treated by pepsin to remove telopeptides, and finally, the immune-free atelocollagen was produced: The cross linked atelocollagen was highly resistant to the collagenase induced collagenolysis. The cross linked collagen demonstrated an improved tensile strength. 30618 T00401030618 ^x This paper is a study on the design of adptive filter for QRS complex detection. We propose a simple adaptive algorithm to increase capability of noise cancelation in QRS complex detection with two stage adaptive filter. At the first stage, background noise is removed and at the next stage, only spectrum of QRS complex components is passed. Two adaptive filters can afford to keep track of the changes of both noise and QRS complex. Each adaptive filter consists of prediction error filter and FIR filter The impulse response of FIR filter uses coefficients of prediction error filter. The detection rates for 105 and 108 of MIT/BIH data base were 99.3% and 97.4% respectively. 30619 T00401030619 ^x To develop an artificial bone substitute that is gradually degraded and replaced by the regenerated natural bone, the authors designed and produced a composite that is consisted of calcium phosphate and collagen. Human umbilical cord origin pepsin treated type I atelocollagen was used as the structural matrix, by which sintered or non-sintered carbonate apatite was encapsulated to form an inorganic-organic composite. With cross linking atelocollagen by UV ray irradiation, the resistance to both compressive and tensile strength was increased. Collagen degradation by the collagenase induced collagenolysis was also decreased. 30620 T00401030620 ^x We have developed a monoleaflet polymer valve as an inexpensive and viable alternative, especially for short-term use in the ventricular assist device or total artificial heart. The frame and leaflet of the polymer valve were made from polyurethane, To evaluate the hemodynamic performance of the polymer valve a comparative study of flow dynamics past a polymer valve and a St. Jude Medical prosthetic valve under physiological pulsatile flow conditions in vitro was made. Comparisons between the valves were made on the transvalvular pressure drop, regurgitation volume and maximum valve opening area. The polymer valve showed smaller regurgitation volume and transvalvular pressure drop compared to the mechanical valve at higher heart rate. The results showed that the functional characteristics of the polymer valve compared favorably with those of the mechanical valve at higher heart rate. 30621 T00401030621 ^x Explosive evaporative removal process of biological tissue by absorption of a CW laser has been simulated by using gelatin and a multimode Nd:YAG laser. Because the point of maximun temperature of laser-irradiated gelatin exists below the surface due to surface cooling, evaporation at the boiling temperature is made explosively from below the surface. The important parameters of this process are the conduction loss to laser power absorption (defined as the conduction-to-laser power parameter, Nk), the convection heat transfer at the surface to conduction loss (defined as Bi), dimensionless extinction coefficient (defined as Br.), and dimensionless irradiation time (defined as Fo). Dependence of Fo on Nk and Bi has been observed by experiment, and the results have been compared with the numerical results obtained by solving a 2-dimensional conduction equation. Fo and explosion depth (from the surface to the point of maximun temperature) are increased when Nk and Bi are increased.To find out the minimum laser power for explosive evaporative removal process, steady state analysis has been also made. The limit of Nk to induce evaporative removal, which is proportional to the inverse of the laser power, has been obtained. 30622 T00401030622 ^x N1 and N2 gross neural action potentials were measured from the round window of the guinea pig cochlea at the onset of the acoustic stimuli. N1-N2 audiograms were made by means of regulating stimulant intensities in order to produce constant N1-N2 potentials as criteria for different input tone pip frequencies. The lowest threshold was measured with an input tone pip I5 dB SPL in intensity and 12 KHz in frequency when the animal was in normal physiological condition. The procedure of experimental measurements is explained in detail. This experimental approach is very useful for the investigation of the Cochlear function. Both noN1inear and active functions of the Cochlea can be monitored by N1-N2 audiograms. 30623 T00401030623 ^x In electrical impedance tomography(EIT), we use boundary current and voltage measurements toprovide the information about the cross-sectional distribution of electrical impedance or resistivity. One of the major problems in EIT has been the inaccessibility of internal voltage or current data in finding the internal impedance values. We propose a new image reconstruction method using internal current density data measured by NMR. We obtained a two-dimensional current density distribution within a phantom by processing the real and imaginary MR images from a 4.77 NMR machine. We implemented a resistivity mage reconstruction algorithm using the finite element method and sensitivity matrix. We presented computer simulation results of the mage reconstruction algorithm and furture direction of the research. 30624 T00401030624 ^x A new method of digital image analysis technique for discrimination of cancer cell was presented in this paper. The object image was the Thyroid eland cells image that was diagnosed as normal and abnormal (two types of abnormal: follicular neoplastic cell, and papillary neoplastic cell), respectively. By using the proposed region segmentation algorithm, the cells were segmented into nucleus. The 16 feature parameters were used to calculate the features of each nucleus. A9 a consequence of using dominant feature parameters method proposed in this paper, discrimination rate of 91.11% was obtained for Thyroid Gland cells. 30625 T00401030625 ^x An electrical stimulator was designed to induce locomotion for paraplegic patients caused by central nervous system injury. Optimal stimulus parameters, which can minimize muscle fatigue and can achieve effective muscle contraction were determined in slow and fast muscles in Sprague-Dawley rats. Stimulus patterns of our stimulator were designed to simulate electromyographic activity monitored during locomotion of normal subjects. Muscle types of the lower extremity were classified according to their mechanical property of contraction, which are slow muscle (msoleus m.) and fast muscle (medial gastrocneminus m., rectus femoris m., vastus lateralis m.). Optimal parameters of electrical stimulation for slow muscles were 20 Hz, 0.2 ms square pulse. For fast muscle, 40 Hz, 0.3 ms square pulse was optimal to produce repeated contraction. Higher stimulus intensity was required when synergistic muscles were stimulated simultaneously than when they were stimulated individually. Electrical stimulation for each muscle was designed to generate bipedal locomotion, so that individual muscles alternate contraction and relaxation to simulate stance and swing phases. Portable electrical stimulator with 16 channels built in microprocessor was constructed and applied to paraplegic patients due to lumbar cord injury. The electrical stimulator restored partially gait function in paraplegic patients. 30626 T00401030626 ^x Two-Dimensional modelling of the Cochlear biomechanics is presented in this paper. The Laplace partial differential equation which represents the fluid mechanics of the Cochlea has been transformed into two-dimensional electrical transmission line. The procedure of this transformation is explained in detail. The comparison between one and two dimensional models is also presented. This electrical modelling of the basilar membrane (BM) is clearly useful for the next approach to the further. Development of active elements which are essential in the producing of the sharp tuning of the BM. This paper shows that two-dimension model is qualitatively better than one-dimensional model both in amplitude and phase responses of the BM displacement. The present model is only for frequency response. However because the model is electrical, the two-dimensional transmission line model can be extended to time response without any difficult. 30627 T00401030627 ^x A method has been proposed for the fully automatic detection of left ventricular endocardial boundary in 2D short axis echocardiogram using geometric model. The procedure has the following three distinct stages. First, the initial center is estimated by the initial center estimation algorithm which is applied to decimated image. Second, the center estimation algorithm is applied to original image and then best-fit elliptic model estimation is processed. Third, best-fit boundary is detected by the cost function which is based on the best-fit elliptic model. The proposed method shows effective result without manual intervention by a human operator. 30628 T00401030628 ^x The intelligent trajectory control method that controls moving direction and average velocity for a prosthetic arm is proposed by pattern recognition and force estimations using EMG signals. Also, we propose the real time trajectory planning method which generates continuous accelleration paths using 3 stage linear filters to minimize the impact to human body induced by arm motions and to reduce the muscle fatigue. We use combination of MLP and fuzzy filter for pattern recognition to estimate the direction of a muscle and Hogan's method for the force estimation. EMG signals are acquired by using a amputation simulator and 2 dimensional joystick motion. The simulation results of proposed prosthetic arm control system using the EMf signals show that the arm is effectively followed the desired trajectory depended on estimated force and direction of muscle movements. 30638 T00401030638 ^x A new neural network architecture for the recognition of patterns from images is proposed, which is partially based on the results of physiological studies. The proposed network is composed of multi-layers and the nerve cells in each layer are connected by spatial filters which approximate receptive fields in optic nerve fields. In the proposed method, patterns recognition for complicated images is carried out using global features as well as local features such as lines and end-points. A new generating method of matched filers representing global features is proposed in this network. 30659 T00401030659 ^x An implementation scheme of the magnetic nerve stimulator using a switching mode power supply is proposed. By using a switching mode power supply rather than a conventional linear power supply for charging high voltage capacitors, the weight and size of the magnetic nerve stimulator can be considerably reduced. Maximum output voltage of the developed magnetic nerve stimulator using the switching mode power supply is 3, 000 volts and switching time is about 100 msec. Experimental results or human nerve stimulations using the developed stimulator are presented. 30768 T00401030768 ^x In this paper, we describe the design methodology and specifications of the developed module-based bedside monitors for patient monitoring. The bedside monitor consists of a main unit and module cases with various parameter modules. The main unit includes a 12.1" TFT color LCD, a main CPU board, and peripherals such as a module controller, Ethernet LAN card, video card, rotate/push button controller, etc. The main unit can connect at maximum three module cases each of which can accommodate up to 7 parameter modules. They include the modules for electrocardiograph, respiration, invasive blood pressure, noninvasive blood pressure, temperature, and SpO2 with Plethysmograph.SpO2 with Plethysmograph.

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Variation in Population Size of Mudfish by Agricultural Practices in Paddy Fields (논 생태계에서 영농방법에 따른 미꾸라지개체군의 변동 요인 분석)

  • Han, Min-Su;Cho, Kwang-Jin;Nam, Hyung-Kyu;Kang, Kee-Kyung;Na, Young-Eun;Kim, Miran;Kim, Myung-Hyun
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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    • v.32 no.1
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    • pp.24-34
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    • 2013
  • BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to compare population size of mudfish (Misgurnus mizolepis) between the agricultural practices and to investigate the causes of its differences. We also provided basic information for sustainable use of mudfish population in paddy fields. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mudfish and benthic invertebrates which are diet of mudifish were investigated from 8 sites of organic and conventional rice paddy fields in South Korea. Total number of mudfish were 1,882 individuals in survey sites. Mudfish population were 2.4 times larger in organic paddy fields (1,333 individuals) than in conventional paddy fields (549 individuals). The population size of mudfish was larger in Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do with relatively better environmental conditions than the other 5 sites including Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do, Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. Benthic invertebrates collected from survey sites were 74 species, 68 genera, 46 families, 19 orders, 6 classes and 3 phyla. According to agricultural practices, benthic invertebrates were identified 66 species, 62 genera, 41 families, 17 orders, 6 classes and 3 phyla in organic paddy fields while there were 66 species, 60 genera, 42 families, 18 orders, 6 classes and 3 phyla in conventional paddy fields. Dominant invertebrates were Chironomidae sp., Branchiopoda sp., Ostracoda sp., and Copepoda sp. There were no differences in dominant species between organic and conventional paddy fields. Population size of mudfish tended to increase with the population size of Chironomidae sp., Branchiopoda sp., Ostracoda sp., and Copepoda sp. But, only population of Chironomidae sp. and Copepoda sp. statistically related to population size of mudfish. The number of individuals of mudfish (Misgurnus mizolepis) was higher at the low rate of urban area than any other surveyed region and was affected by appearance ratio of main preys such as Chironomidae sp. and Ostracoda sp. CONCLUSION(S): The population size of mudfish in rice paddy fields could be affected by environmental conditions and agricultural practices such as organic and conventional methods.

Classifications of Ecological Districts for Estuarine Ecosystem Restoration; Examples of Goseong Bay Estuaries, South sea, Korea (하구 생태 복원을 위한 생태구역 구분; 남해 고성만 고성천 인근 하구의 예)

  • An, Soon-Mo;Lee, Sang-Yong;Choi, Jae-Ung
    • The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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    • v.16 no.2
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    • pp.70-80
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    • 2011
  • Estuarine ecosystem responds sensitively to natural and anthropogenic perturbations. lt is necessary to identify the direction of the change when the perturbation occurs as well as to understand the structure and functioning of estuarine ecosystem for a proper management of the area. In this study, the estuarine habitats were classified into different ecological districts so as to the switch from one district to another district could be related to the environmental change due to the perturbations. Total 16 ecological districts was defined according to the presence of barrage, salinity and vegetation characteristics. The defined ecological districts were applied to small estuaries in Goseong bay, south sea of Korea (Baedun, Guman, Maam, Goseong) to distinguish different regions which might have characteristic bottom topography, inclinations of river bottom, sediment characteristics, salinity structure and area of vegetation. Total 7 out of 16 ecological district was identified in this region; NFB (natural, fresh, bare), NHB (natural, high salinity, bare), NLV (natural, low salinity, vegetated) in natural (without barrage) estuaries and CFB (closed, fresh, bare), CFV( closed, fresh vegetated), CLV (closed, low salinity, vegetated), CHB (closed, high salinity, bare) in closed (with barrage) estuary. A comparison of environmental factors and biota between CHB and CLV demonstrated the effect of barrage on estuarine ecosystem. The height and sediment characteristics of CHB and CLV were similar but the average salinity was lower in CLV than in CHB due to the barrage, which produced favorable condition for the Phragmites australis in CLV. Information regarding the ecological districts in various sizes and location could be useful for predicting the ecosystem change due to natural and anthropogenic perturbations and for preparing management actions.

Examining the Relationships among Attitude toward Luxury Brands, Customer Equity, and Customer Lifetime Value in a Korean Context (측시이한국위배경적사치품패태도(测试以韩国为背景的奢侈品牌态度), 고객자산화고객종신개치지간적관계(顾客资产和顾客终身价值之间的关系))

  • Kim, Kyung-Hoon;Park, Seong-Yeon;Lee, Seung-Hee;Knight, Dee K.;Xu, Bing;Jeon, Byung-Joo;Moon, Hak-Il
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.20 no.1
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    • pp.27-34
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    • 2010
  • During the past 10 years, sales of luxury goods increased significantly to more than US$ 130 billion in 2007. In this industry, more than half of the revenue comes from Asia where the average income has risen significantly, and the demand for luxury products is forecast to grow rapidly. Purchasing luxury brands appears to be an intriguing social phenomenon that is profitable for companies in this region. As a newly developed country, Korea is one of the most attractive luxury markets in Asia. Currently, a total of 120 luxury fashion brands have entered the Korean market, primarily in luxury districts in Seoul where the competition is fierce. The purposes of this study are to: (1) identify antecedents of attitude toward luxury brands, (2) examine the effect of attitudes toward luxury brands on customer equity, (3) determine the impact of attitudes toward luxury brands on customer lifetime value, and (4) investigate the influence of customer equity on customer life time value. Previous studies have examined materialism, social need, experiential need, need for uniqueness, conformity, and fashion involvement as antecedents of attitude toward luxury brands. Richins and Dowson (1992) suggested that that materialism influences consumption behavior relative to quantity of goods purchased. Nueno and Quelch (1998) reported that the ownership of luxury brands conveys information related to the owner's social status, communicates an image of success and prestige, and is a determinant of purchase behavior. Experiential need is recognized as an important aspect of consumption, especially for new products developed to meet consumer demand. Since luxury goods, by definition are relatively scarce, ownership of these types of products may fulfill consumers' need for uniqueness. In this study, value equity, relationship equity, and brand equity are examined as drivers of customer equity. The sample (n = 114) was undergraduate and graduate students at two private women's universities in Seoul, Korea. Data collection was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire survey in March, 2009. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and regression analysis using SPSS 15.0 software. Data analysis resulted in a number of conclusions. First, experiential need and fashion involvement positively influence participants' attitude toward luxury brands. Second, attitude toward luxury brands positively influences brand equity, followed by value equity and relationship equity. However, there is no significant relationship between attitude toward luxury brand and customer lifetime value. Finally, relationship equity positively influences customer lifetime value. In conclusion, young consumers are an important potential consumer group that tries different brands to discover the ones most suitable for them. Luxury marketers that use effective marketing strategies to attract and engender loyalty among this potentially lucrative consumer group may increase customer equity and lifetime value.

Correlation among Ownership of Home Appliances Using Multivariate Probit Model (다변량 프로빗 모형을 이용한 가전제품 구매의 상관관계 분석)

  • Kim, Chang-Seob;Shin, Jung-Woo;Lee, Mi-Suk;Lee, Jong-Su
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.17-26
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    • 2009
  • As the lifestyle of consumers changes and the need for various products increases, new products are being developed in the market. Each household owns various home appliances which are purchased through the choice of a decision maker. These appliances include not only large-sized products such as TV, refrigerator, and washing machine, but also small-sized products such as microwave oven and air cleaner. There exists latent correlation among possession of home appliances, even though they are purchased independently. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of demographic factors on the purchase and possession of each home appliances, and to derive some relationships among various appliances. To achieve this purpose, the present status on the possession of each home appliances are investigated through consumer survey data on the electric and energy product. And a multivariate probit(MVP) model is applied for the empirical analysis. From the estimation results, some appliances show a substitutive or complementary pattern as expected, while others which look apparently unrelated have correlation by co-incidence. This research has several advantages compared to previous literatures on home appliances. First, this research focuses on the various products which are purchased by each household, while previous researches such as Matsukawa and Ito(1998) and Yoon(2007) focus just on a particular product. Second, the methodology of this research can consider a choice process of each product and correlation among products simultaneously. Lastly, this research can analyze not only a substitutive or complementary relationship in the same category, but also the correlation among products in the different categories. As the data on the possession of home appliances in each household has a characteristic of multiple choice, not a single choice, a MVP model are used for the empirical analysis. A MVP model is derived from a random utility model, and has an advantage compared to a multinomial logit model in that correlation among error terms can be derive(Manchanda et al., 1999; Edwards and Allenby, 2003). It is assumed that the error term has a normal distribution with zero mean and variance-covariance matrix ${\Omega}$. Hence, the sign and value of correlation coefficients means the relationship between two alternatives(Manchanda et al., 1999). This research uses the data of 'TEMEP Household ICT/Energy Survey (THIES) 2008' which is conducted by Technology Management, Economics and Policy Program in Seoul National University. The empirical analysis of this research is accomplished in two steps. First, a MVP model with demographic variables is estimated to analyze the effect of the characteristics of household on the purchase of each home appliances. In this research, some variables such as education level, region, size of family, average income, type of house are considered. Second, a MVP model excluding demographic variables is estimated to analyze the correlation among each home appliances. According to the estimation results of variance-covariance matrix, each households tend to own some appliances such as washing machine-refrigerator-cleaner-microwave oven, and air conditioner-dish washer-washing machine and so on. On the other hand, several products such as analog braun tube TV-digital braun tube TV and desktop PC-portable PC show a substitutive pattern. Lastly, the correlation map of home appliances are derived using multi-dimensional scaling(MDS) method based on the result of variance-covariance matrix. This research can provide significant implications for the firm's marketing strategies such as bundling, pricing, display and so on. In addition, this research can provide significant information for the development of convergence products and related technologies. A convergence product can decrease its market uncertainty, if two products which consumers tend to purchase together are integrated into it. The results of this research are more meaningful because it is based on the possession status of each household through the survey data.

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The Etiologic Agents and Clinical Outcomes of Adult Community-acquired Pneumonia in Jeju (제주지역 성인 지역사회획득 폐렴의 원인균 및 임상양상)

  • Jeon, Bong-Hee;Kim, Miok;Kim, Jeong Hong;Shin, Sang Yop;Lee, Jaechun
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.66 no.5
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    • pp.358-364
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    • 2009
  • Background: The appropriate empirical antimicrobial choice in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) should be advocated by community-based information on the etiologic pathogens, their susceptibility to antimicrobials, clinical characteristics and outcomes. Jeju is a geographically isolated and identical region in Korea. However, there is no regional reference on adult CAP available. This study investigated the etiologic agents and clinical outcomes of adult patients diagnosed with CAP in Jeju, Korea, to help guide the empirical antimicrobial choice. Methods: A prospective observational study for one year in a referral hospital in Jeju, Korea. Patients diagnosed with CAP were enrolled with their clinical characteristics. Microbiological evaluations to identify the etiologic agents in the adult patients with CAP were performed with blood culture, expectorated sputum smear and culture, antibody tests for mycoplasma, chlamydophila, and antigen tests for legionella and pneumococcus. The clinical outcomes of the initial empirical treatment were analyzed. Results: Two hundred and three patients with mean age of 64 and 79 females were enrolled. Ten microbials from 90 cases (44.3%) were isolated and multiple isolates were confirmed in 30. Among the microbial isolates, S. pneumoniae (36.3%) was the most common, followed by M. pneumoniae (23.0%), C. pneumoniae (17.0%), S. aureus (9.6%) and P. aeruginosa (5.9%). The initial treatment failure (23.8%) was related to the isolation of polymicrobial pathogens, elevated inflammatory markers, and the presence of pleural effusion. Among the 30 isolates of S. pneumoniae, 16 (53.3%) were not susceptible to penicillin, and 19 isolates (63.3%) to erythromycin and clarithromycin. However, 29 isolates (96.7%) were susceptible to levofloxacin and ceftriaxone. Conclusion: S. pneumoniae, M. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa are frequent etiologic agents of adult CAP in Jeju, Korea. The clinical characteristics and antibiotic resistance should be considered when determining the initial empirical antimicrobial choice. Respiratory quinolone or ceftriaxone is recommended as an empirical antimicrobiotic in the treatment of adult CAP in Jeju, Korea.

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Transcription Factor ATFC Activated by ER Stress from Bombyx mori Bm5 Cell Lines (누에 배양세포(Bm5)로부터 분리한 새로운 전사제어인자 ATFC의 특성분석)

  • 구태원;윤은영;김성완;최광호;황재삼;박수정;권오유;강석우
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.13 no.5
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    • pp.596-603
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    • 2003
  • Cells respond to an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by increasing transcription of genes encoding molecular chaperones and folding enzymes. The information is transmitted from the ER lumen to the nucleus by intracellular signaling pathway, called the unfolded protein response (UPR). To obtain genes related to UPR from B. mori, the cDNA library was constructed with mRNA isolated from Bm5 cell lines in which N-glycosylation was inhibited by tunicamycin treatment. From the cDNA library, we selected 40 clones that differentially expressed when cells were treated with tunicamycin. Among these clones, we have isolated ATFC gene showing similarity with Hac1p, encoding a bZIP transcription factor of 5. cerevisiae. Basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) domain in amino acid sequences of ATFC shared homology with yeast Hac1p. Also, ATFC is up-regulated by accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER through the treatment of ER stress drugs. Therefore we suggest that ATFC represents a major component of the putative transcription factor responsible for the UPR leading to the induction of ER-localized stress proteins.

Analysis of Experimental Researches in Korea on the Effects of Aromatherapy to Relieve Pain (아로마테라피의 통증 감소 효과에 관한 국내 실험논문 분석)

  • Park, Jeong-Sook;Park, Jeong-Eon;Yang, Jang-Soon;Kwak, Hye-Weon;Han, Jung-An
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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    • v.14 no.1
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    • pp.8-19
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    • 2011
  • Purpose: This study identifies research trends and provides fundamental data related to curative power of aromatherapy to relieve pain in Korea. Methods: The study analyzed 44 experimental studies on humans that were published in Korea before the end of December, 2009. The key words used for searching were: aroma, aromatherapy, hyang-yobeob, hyanggi-yobeob, hyanggichilyo, aromatherapy and pain, headache, scapulodynia, omodynia, feeling uncomfortable in the perineal region, sense of pain, labor pains, arm pain, menstrual pain, aches, and dysmenorrheal. Those words were found on websites, including those for Korea Education & Research Information Service, the National Assembly Library, KISS, KoreaMed, and NDSL. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The results showed that most of essential oils to relieve pain is composed of three to four kinds of oils, including Lavender, Roman chamomile, Rosemary, and Clarysage. Aromatherapy is applied usually by means of massage (50%), inhalation (13.6%), or a combination of the above two (13.6%). Measuring instruments as a dependent variable include VAS, questionnaire, GRS, blood pressure, pulse, and Algometer. Aromatherapy plays an important role in soothing headaches and arthralgia. However, when it comes to labor and menstrual pain, it doesn't seem to be effective. Conclusion: The study found that different kinds of oil, frequencies, and periods of time are used for the same symptoms. Further research should employ standardized oil blending, application, duration, and measuring instruments, and more systematically analyze the effects of aromatherapy to establish the effects on relieving pain.

An Empirical Study on Technological Innovation Management Factors of SMEs (중소기업의 기술혁신 관리요소에 관한 실증연구)

  • Im, Chae-Hyon;Shin, Jin-Kyo
    • Journal of Technology Innovation
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.75-107
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    • 2012
  • Previous researches on technological innovation have several limitations such as lack of general mechanism for technological innovation(inputs, throughputs and outputs of technological innovation), large company oriented studies, and ignoring importance of technology management capabilities. So, this study suggested a new model using resource-based theory and system theory, and empirically applied that to SMEs. Structural equation model analysis by using 223 SMEs in Daegu region provided a support for most of hypotheses. Research results showed that all of factors on technological innovation were significantly and positively related with each other: inputs(R&D leadership, innovation strategy, R&D investment, R&D human resource management, external network), throughputs(portfolio management, project management, technology commercialization) and output(technological innovation). In case of technological innovation inputs, R&D leadership influenced on innovation strategy positively and significantly. And R&D leadership and innovation strategy had positive and significant effects on R&D investment, R&D human resource management and external network. R&D human resource management and external network exerted positive and significant influences on technological innovation throughputs such as portfolio management and project management. But R&D investment did not significant impacts on technological innovation throughputs. Among technological innovation throughputs, both portfolio management and project management had positive and significant effect on technology commercialization. In addition, technology commercialization acted positively and significantly technological innovation output. This study suggests necessary of efforts to implement innovation strategy and manage R&D human resource effectively based on CEO's innovativeness and entrepreneurship. Also, if SMEs want to develop technology and commercialize it, they have to cooperate with external technology resources and informations. Research results revealed that proper level of R&D investment, internal and external communication, information sharing, and learning and cooperative culture were very important for improvement of technological innovation performance in SMEs. Especially, this research suggested that if SMEs manage technological innovation process effectively based on resource-based and system approaches, then they can overcome their resource limitations and gain high technological innovation performance. Also, useful policy support for technological innovation of central or regional government by this research model is important factor for SMEs' technological innovation performance.

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Analysis of Effect of Environment on Growth and Yield of Autumn Kimchi Cabbage in Jeonnam Province using Big Data (빅데이터를 활용한 재배환경이 전라남도 지방 가을배추의 생육과 수량에 미치는 영향 분석)

  • Wi, Seung Hwan;Lee, Hee Ju;Yu, In Ho;Jang, YoonAh;Yeo, Kyung-Hwan;An, Sewoong;Lee, Jin Hyoung
    • Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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    • v.22 no.3
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    • pp.183-193
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    • 2020
  • This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of environment factors on the growth of autumn season cultivation of Kimchi cabbage using the big data in terms of public open data(weather, soil information, and growth of crop, etc.). The growth data and the environment data such as temperature, daylength, and rainfall from 2010 to 2019 were collected. As a result of composing the correlation matrix, the height and leaf number showed high correlation in growing degree days(GDDs) and daylength, and the yield showed negative correlation in growing degree days and the concentration of clay. GDDs and daylength explained about 89% and 84% of variation in height, respectively. These two environmental factors also explained about 85% and 79% of variation in leaf numbers, respectively. In contrast, the coefficient of determination was low for yield when GDDs and concentration of clay was used. The outcome of regional statistical analysis indicated that relationship between yield and sum of sand and silt were high in Haenam and Jindo areas. Hierarchical cluster analysis, which was performed to verify the association of yield, GDDs, and concentration of clay, showed that Haenam and Jindo were clustered together. Although GDDs and yield vary by year and region, and there are regions with similar concentration of clays, observation data are grouped as the result. These suggests that GDDs and soil texture are expected to be related to yield. The cluster analysis results can be used for further data analysis and agricultural policy establishment.