• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.298-308
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• 1997

Background : Portable devices for measuring peak expiratory flow(PEF) are now of proved value in the diagnosis and management of asthma and many lightweight PEF meters have become available. However, it is necessary to determine whether peak expiratory flow rate(PEFR) measurements measured with peak flowmeters is accurate and reproducible for clinical application. The aim of the present study is to define accuracy, agreement, and precision of mini-Wright peak flow meter(MPFM) against standard pneumotachygraph. Methods : The lung function tests by standard pneumotachygraph and PEFR measurement by MPFM were performed in a random order for 2 hours in 22 normal and 17 asthmatic subjects and also were performed for 3 successive days in 22 normals. Results : The PEFR measured with MPFM was significantly related to the PEFR and $FEV_1$ measured with standard pneumotachygraph in normal and asthmatics(for PEFR, r = 0.92 ; p < 0.001 ; for $FEV_1$, r = 0.78 ; p < 0.001). The accuracy of MPFM was within 100(limits of accuracy recommeded by NAEP) in all the subjects or 22 normal, mean difference from standard pneumotachygraph being 16.5L/min(percentage of difference being 2.90%) or 10.6L/min(percentage of difference being 1.75%), respectively. According to the method proposed by Bland and Altman, the 95% limits of the distribution of differences between MPFM and standard pneumotachygraph after correction of PEFR using our regression equation were +38.2 and -71.5L/min in all the subjects or 20.49~+9.49L/min in 22 normal and was similar to the intraindividual agreements for 3 successive days in normal. There was no statistically significant difference of PEFR measured with MPFM and standard pneumotachygraph among three days(p > 0.05) and the coefficient of variation($2.4{\pm}1.2%$) of PEFR measured with MPFM was significantly lower than that($5.2{\pm}3.5%$) with standard pneumotachygraph in normal (p < 0.05). Conclusion : This results suggest that the MPFM was as accurate and reproducible as standard pneumotachygraph for monitoring of PEFR in the asthmatic subjects.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.43-65
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• 2010

Facing a complex environment driven by a decade, many companies are adopting new strategic frameworks such as Customer Relationship Management system to achieve sustainable profitability as well as overcome serious competition for survival. In many business areas, CRM system advanced a great deal in a matter of continuous compensating the defect and overall integration. However, pharmaceutical companies in Korea were slow to accept them for usesince they still have a tendency of holding fast to traditional way of sales and marketing based on individual networks of sales representatives. In the circumstance, this article tried to empirically address current status of CRM system as well as the effects of the system on the performance of pharmaceutical companies by applying BSC method's four perspectives, from financial, customer, learning and growth and internal process. Survey by e-mail and post to employers and employees who were working in pharma firms were undergone for the purpose. Total 113 cases among collected 140 ones were used for the statistical analysis by SPSS ver. 15 package. Reliability, Factor analysis, regression were done. This study revealed that CRM system had a significant effect on improving financial and non-financial performance of pharmaceutical companies as expected. Proposed regression model fits well and among them, CRM marketing information system shed the light on substantial impact on companies' outcome given profitability, growth and investment. Useful analytical information by CRM marketing information system appears to enable pharmaceutical firms to set up effective marketing and sales strategies, these result in favorable financial performance by enhancing values for stakeholderseventually, not to mention short-term profit and/or mid-term potential to growth. CRM system depicted its influence on not only financial performance, but also non-financial fruit of pharmaceutical companies. Further analysis for each component showed that CRM marketing information system were able to demonstrate statistically significant effect on the performance like the result of financial outcome. CRM system is believed to provide the companies with efficient way of customers managing by valuable standardized business process prompt coping with specific customers' needs. It consequently induces customer satisfaction and retentionto improve performance for long period. That is, there is a virtuous circle for creating value as the cornerstone for sustainable growth. However, the research failed to put forward to evidence to support hypothesis regarding favorable influence of CRM sales representative's records assessment system and CRM customer analysis system on the management performance. The analysis is regarded to reflect the lack of understanding of sales people and respondents between actual work duties and far-sighted goal in strategic analysis framework. Ordinary salesmen seem to dedicate short-term goal for the purpose of meeting sales target, receiving incentive bonus in a manner-of-fact style, as such, they tend to avail themselves of personal network and sales and promotional expense rather than CRM system. The study finding proposed a link between CRM information system and performance. It empirically indicated that pharmaceutical companies had been implementing CRM system as an effective strategic business framework in order for more balanced achievements based on the grounded understanding of both CRM system and integrated performance. It suggests a positive impact of supportive CRM system on firm performance, especially for pharmaceutical industry through the initial empirical evidence. Also, it brings out unmet needs for more practical system design, improvement of employees' awareness, increase of system utilization in the field. On the basis of the insight from this exploratory study, confirmatory research by more appropriate measurement tool and increased sample size should be further examined.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.609-614
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• 2013

This study investigated the spontaneous combustion behavior of solvent-treated low rank coals. Indonesian lignite (a KBB and SM coal) and sub-bituminous (a Roto coal) were mixed with non-polar 1-methyl naphthalene (1MN) either by mechanical agitation or ultrasonication. The property change associated with 1MN treatment was then analyzed using proximate analysis, calorific value analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and moisture re-adsorption test. Susceptibility to spontaneous combustion was evaluated using crossingpoint temperature (CPT) measurement along with gas analysis by GC. A FT-IR profile showed that oxygen functional groups and C-H bonding became weaker when treated by 1 MN. XPS results also indicated a decrease of the oxygen groups (C-O-, C=O and COO-). Increased hydrophobicity was found in the 1MN treated coals during moisture readsorption test. A CPT of the treated coals was ${\sim}20^{\circ}C$ higher than that of the corresponding raw coals and the ultrasonication was more effective way to enhance the stability against spontaneous combustion than the agitation. In the gas analysis less CO and $CO_2$ were emitted from 1MN treated coals, also indicating inhibition of pyrophoric behavior. The surface functional groups participating in the oxidation reaction seemed to be removed by the ultrasonication more effectively than by the simple mechanical agitation.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.315-322
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• 2013

The aim of this work is to verify the self-quality assurances in medical institutions in Korea through the external audits by the group of experts and have a mutual discussion of the systematic problems. In order to validate the external audits 30 of 80 medical institutions across the nation were picked out considering the regional distribution and the final 25 institutions applied voluntarily to take part in this work. The basic rules were setup that any information of the participants be kept secrete and the measurements be performed with the dosimetry system already verified through intercomparision. The outputs for 2 or more photon beams, the accuracy of gantry rotation and collimator rotation and the poistional accuracy of MLC movement were measured. The findings for the output measurement showed the differences of -0.8%~4.5%, -0.79%~3.01%, and -0.7%~0.07% with respect to that of the verified dosimetry system for the 6MV, 10MV, and 15MV, respectively. For the reference absorbed dose 8 (16%) of 50 photon beams in 25 medical institutions differed 2.0% or greater from the reference value. The coincidences of Field size with x-ray beam and radiation isocenters of Gantry roration and collimator rotation gave the results of within ${\pm}2$ mm for every institute except 2 institutions. The positional accuracy of MLC movement agreed to within ${\pm}1$ mm for every institute. For the beam qualities of 6 MV photon beams kQ values showed the distribution within 0.4% between maximum and minimum. For the protocols 21 institutions (84%) used absorbed dose to water based protocol while 4 insitutions (16%) used air kerma based one. 22 institutions employed the SSD technique while 3 institutions did the SAD one. External audit plays an important role in discovering the systematic problems of self-performing Quality Assurances and having in depth discussion for mutual complementation. Training experts of international level as well as national support system are required so that both the group of experts of medical physicists and government laboratory could perform together periodical and constant external audits.

• Proceedings of the KOR-BRONCHOESO Conference
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• 1977.06a
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• pp.4.4-5
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• 1977

The vibratory energy introduced into the external ear canal is changed by the mechanical factors of eardrum itself, the motility of ossicles, and the air cushion of tympanic cavity and the like. This study was designed to investigate the volume of middle ear cavity and mastoid air cell system as a factor of determining the accoustic impedance of middle ear system. The author studied how the increase in air volume of middle ear cavity effects on the acoustic impedance of middle ear system with dogs' ears and researched the correlation between the degree of pneumatization of temporal bones and the acoustic impedance of middle ear system by comparing the radiological findings of pneumatization (Law's and Towne's projection) with the acoustic impedance measurements with Madsen ZO 70. The result is as follows: 1 The tympanometric findings in control state revealed the curves of type A, and did not change in its configuration by the increase in the air volume of dogs middle ear system. 2. The static compliance of middle ear revealed a distinct and linear increase in proportion to the increase in air volume of middle ear system; the rate of increase was $0.05{\pm}0.02$ cc of static compliance per cc of air volume. 3. Authenticated in the above result and the tendency to increase in static compliance in proportion to the increase in the degree of pneumatization of temporal bones, there was significant regression equation between the degree of pneumatization of temporal bones (x variable) and the static compliance of middle ear system; $y=0.19x{\pm}0.16{\pm}0.05$ It is suggested that the difference in volume of middle ear system plays an important role in the change of the static compliance of middle ear, and the author concludes that the measurement of static compliance of middle ear has clinical value as diagnostic means of evaluating the degree of pneumatization of temporal bones along with some radiological examination.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2016

Purpose Self-congruity deals with the effect of symbolic value-expressive attributes on consumer decision and behavior, which is the theoretical foundation of the "non-utilitarian destination positioning". Functional congruity refers to utilitarian evaluation of a product or service by consumers. In addition, recent years, social network services, especially mobile social network services have created many opportunities for e-WOM communication that enables consumers to share personal consumption related information anywhere at any time. Moreover, self-construal is a hot and popular topic that has been discussed in the field of modem psychology as well as in marketing area. This study aims to examine the moderating effect of self-construal on the relationship between self-congruity, functional congruity and tourists' positive electronic word of mouth (e-WOM). Design/methodology/approach In order to verify the hypotheses, we developed a questionnaire with 32 survey items. We measured all the items on a five-point Likert-type scale. We used Sojump.com to collect questionnaire and gathered 218 responses from whom have visited Korea before. After a pilot test, we analyzed the main survey data by using SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 18.0, and employed structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. We first estimated the measurement model for its overall fit, reliability and validity through a confirmatory factor analysis and used common method bias test to make sure that whether measures are affected by common-method variance. Then we tested the hypotheses through the structural model and used regression analysis to measure moderating effect of self-construal. Findings The results reveal that the effect of self-congruity on tourists' positive e-WOM is stronger for tourists with an independent self-construal compared with those with interdependent self-construal. Moreover, it shows that the effect of functional congruity on tourists' positive e-WOM becomes salient when tourists' self-construal is primed to be interdependent rather than independent. We expect that the results of this study can provide important implications for academic and practical perspective.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.74-83
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• 2011

The high-pass transportation information system directly collects section information by using probe cars and therefore can offer more reliable information to drivers. However, because the running condition and features of probe cars and statistical processing methods affect the reliability of the information and particularly because the section travel time is greatly influenced by whether there has been delay by signals on urban roads or not, there can be much deviation among the collected individual probe data. Accordingly, researches in multilateral directions are necessary in order to enhance the credibility of the section information. Yet, the precedent studies related to high-pass information provision have been conducted on the highway sections with the feature of continuous flow, which has a limit to be applied to the urban roads with the transportational feature of an interrupted flow. Therefore, this research aims at analyzing the features of high-pass transportation data on urban roads and finding a proper processing method. When the characteristics of the high-pass data on urban roads collected from RSE were analyzed by using a time-space diagram, the collected data was proved to have a certain pattern according to the arriving cars' waiting for signals with the period of the signaling cycle of the finish node. Moreover, the number of waiting for signals and the time of waiting caused the deviation in the collected data, and it was bigger in traffic jam. The analysis result showed that it was because the increased number of waiting for signals in traffic jam caused the deviation to be offset partially. The analysis result shows that it is appropriate to use the mean of this collected data of high-pass on urban roads as its representative value to reflect the transportational features by waiting for signals, and the standard of judgment of delay and congestion needs to be changed depending on the features of signals and roads. The results of this research are expected to be the foundation stone to improve the reliability of high-pass information on urban roads.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.51-68
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• 2016

In this paper, we aim to analyze the effect of accounting policy change subsequent to the adoption of K-IFRS in Korea, whereby the firms are required to recognize impairment losses on goodwill on a periodic basis rather than to amortize over a specific period. As a principle-based accounting standard, the K-IFRS expands the scope of fair value measurement with a view to enhance the relevance and timeliness of accounting information. In the same vein, intangibles with indefinite useful life, of which goodwill is an example, are subject to regulatory impairment tests at least once a year. Related literature on the impact of mandatory change in goodwill policy document that impairment recognition is more likely to be practiced opportunistically, mainly because managers have a greater discretion to conduct the tests under K-IFRS. However, existing literature examined the frequency and/or magnitude of the goodwill impairment before versus after the K-IFRS adoption, failing to notice the impairment symptoms at individual firm level. Borrowing the definition of impairment symptoms suggested by Ramanna and Watts(2012), this study performs a series of tests to determine whether the goodwill impairment recognition achieves the goal of communicating timelier information under the K-IFRS regime. Using 947 firm-year observations from domestic companies listed in KRX and KOSDAQ markets from 2008 to 2011, we document overall delays in recognizing impairment losses on goodwill after the adoption of K-IFRS relative to prior period, based on logistic and OLS regression analyses. The results are qualitatively similar in robustness tests, which use alternative proxy for goodwill impairment symptom. Afore-mentioned results indicate that managers are likely to take advantage of the increased discretion to recognize the impairment losses on goodwill rather than to provide timelier information on impairment, inconsistent with the goal of regulatory authority, which is in line with the improvement of timeliness and relevance of accounting information in conjunction with the full implementation of K-IFRS. This study contributes to the extant literature on goodwill impairment from a methodological viewpoint. We believe that the method employed in this paper potentially diminishes the bias inherent in researches relying on ex post impairment recognition, by conducting tests based on ex ante impairment symptoms, which allows direct examination of the timeliness changes between before and after K-IFRS adoption.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.720-731
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• 2003

Statement of problem. The importance of fixture design and surface treatment. Purpose. The clinical success of dental in plants is affected by many factors such like as degree of osseointegration, the effective load dispersion for the prostheses, and a lot of attempts have been made to overcome the difficulties. In this study, efforts were made to find the possibility of clinical acceptance of the dental implants of newly designed surface and resorbable blast media surcace. Materials and methods. In this study, two groups of custom-made, screw-shaped implants were prepared. The first with the consisting of Branemark clone design and the other with the new design. These implants were divided into four groups according to the kinds of surface treatment. Four implants($AVANA^{(R)}$, Osstem, Busan, Korea)of each group were installed in twenty rabbits. Group A was consisted of Branemark done implant left as machined, Group B with Branemark clone implants with RBM(Resorbable blast media) surface, Group C with newly designed implants left as machined and Group D with newly designed implants with RBM surface. One of the twenty rabbits died from inflammation and the observation was made for six weeks. Specimens from four groups were observed using scanning electron microscopy with 40, 100, 1000 magnification power and microsurface structures were measured by white-light scanning interferometry for three dimensional surface roughness measurements(Accura $2000^{(R)}$, Intek-Plus, Korea.). Removal torque was measured in 17 rabbits using digital torque gauge(MGT 12R, Mark-10 corp., NY, U.S.A.) immediately after the sacrifice and two rabbits were used for the histologic preparation(EXAKT $310^{(R)}$, Heraeus Kulzer, wehrheim, Germany) of specimens and observed under light microscope. Resonance frequency measurement($Osstell^{(R)}$) was taken with the 19 rabbits at the beginning of the implant fixation and immediately after the sacrifice. Results. Following results were taken from the experiment. 1. The surface of the RBM implants as seen with SEM had rough and irregular pattern with reticular formation compared to that of fumed specimens showing different surface topographies. 2. The newly designed implant with RBM surface had high removal torque value among four groups with no statistical significance. The average removal torque was $49.95{\pm}6.70Ncm$ in Group A, $51.15{\pm}4.40Ncm$ in Group B, $50.78{\pm}9.37Ncm$ in Group C, $51.09{\pm}4.69Ncm$ in Group D. 3. The RFA values were $70.8{\pm}4.3Hz$ in Group A, $71.8{\pm}3.1Hz$ in Group B, $70.9{\pm}2.5Hz$, $72.7{\pm}2.5Hz$ in Group D. Higher values were noted in the groups which had surface treatment compared to the untreated groups with no statistical significance. 4. The results from the histomorphometric evaluation showed a mean percentage of bone-to-implant contact of $45{\pm}0.5%$ in Group A, $55{\pm}3%$ in Group B, $49.5{\pm}0.5%$ in Group C, and $55{\pm}3%$ in Group D. Quite amount of newly formed bone were observed at the surface RBM-treated implants in bone marrow space.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.163-175
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• 2014

This study is to explain social capital characteristics of Filipino immigrant women at the level of neighborhood. This research targeted Filipino immigrant women in the metropolis, small town and rural area in Korea to find out the relevance of individual property and characteristics of the community and social capital of neighboring communities- school community, cathedral community, etc- through measurement of the participants' recognition. This study reveals that differences exist in the relationship between length of residence and social capital in the school community and the catholic church community. There is a significant positive relationship between length of residence and political factors in the catholic church community, thereby having a better relationship with longer period of stay, while length of residence and confidence show a negative trend in the school community, leading to less confidence. The catholic church community holds a dominant position in homogeneity, cohesion, and the amount of social capital. According to the findings, social capital 'relation' is more closely related to homogeneity of the community, 'norms' to cohesion. 'Relation and norms' and 'confidence and politics' factors are recognized similarly in both communities, thus resulting in the recognition that decision making within the community, the share of value, and observance of social norms approximate a friendly relationship among members, and satisfaction level, emotional support, and confidence among members approach politics that members can talk about their personal matters. It is noted in the research process that the symbolism of the cathedral community as a transnational circuit behavior occurs where collective culture and personal desires of Filipino immigrant women were combined with production of social capital. Filipino immigrant women's awareness of community and social capital appearing in the cathedral community show that not only residence, along with the cultural identity of Filipino immigrant women, but also collective social and cultural characteristics, such as 'family reunion' can not be overlooked. In particular, at this time when discussion and debate on the interculturalism over multiculturalism is heating up, communal spirit and social capital based on the ethnic identity are important in that they can be a crucial path to the cross-cultural interaction with our society, therefore, a study on the social capital of the ethnic community needs to be encouraged and extended to more diverse communities, to the space of the multilayered scale.