• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.31-43
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• 2017

This study was aimed at analyzing the operational efficiency of DPAs(the delivery and pickup agents), which serve as sub-terminals in parcel delivery services, using CCR/BCC models in DEA. The input variables included the number of employees, and the amount of equipment and the operating expenses. The output variable was revenue value. The efficiency for the period from 2014 to 2016 was analyzed. The results revealed that the operational efficiency improved in 2016, compared with 2014, in both CCR and BCC models. According to the benchmarking analysis, DMU 1 and DMU 7 showed higher efficiency in 2016. The inefficiency analysis based on the BCC model showed increased efficiency of all factors in 2016 when compared with 2014. The Malmquist productivity index (MPI) dropped slightly as a result of technical changes and indicated a declining technical efficiency in all DMUs. This study suggests the need for government-led systematic improvement and support for DPAs by providing current insight into the parcel delivery industry and analyzing DPAs' operational efficiency in Korea for the first time. This research performed efficiency analysis of DPAs located in new town of paju and gimpo cities. In future research, comparative study on efficiency analysis including new town, old town area, and other cities are needed.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.80-90
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• 2009

Nowadays, there are many companies which employ the SQI measurement to assess service quality. The purpose of this study is to measure the service efficiency for Bank Industry. In this paper, we tried to measure the efficiency of service quality and overall customer satisfaction by using Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA). Rather than using the usual method of converting the Service Quality Index(SQI) into mean value, we applied CCR/BCC models in DEA to service quality efficiency. Also, DEA/PS Model is recommended as appropriate model for evaluating service efficiency by complementing the shortfalls of the weighted value of DEA Model. In this study, six dimensions of service quality were considered as input variables and output variables(overall customer satisfaction, reusing intention, and word of mouth). The result of this study statistically verifies that 5 DMUs are relatively efficient, and intensive activities for service efficiency are needed for 20 sample branches. Managerial implications based on the analysis were suggested.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.165-172
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• 2014

The purpose of this paper is to identify whether the national baseball squad made up of the best players may get the outstanding results in the international competitions or not. Using Data Envelopment Analysis, the relative efficiency of players in Korean Baseball Organization is estimated as performance measure, and compared with the efficiency scores of national squad members. The paper focuses on the proper choice of DEA model in a baseball setting, thereby selecting the BCC model with non-discretionary variable. Two input variables(plate appearances and stolen bases to enforce) and three output variables(runs, on-base plus slugging and stolen base percentage) are used to evaluate the efficiency of the baseball players. Results showed that 22 players among 97 players were classified as efficient and 8 players among 12 national squad members were as efficient. These findings indicate a potential for DEA to be a major part of the analytical approaches in evaluating the relative efficiency of players.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.29 no.10 s.106
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• pp.921-926
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of container terminal operation in Busan and Kwangyang port. The research method used for this study is DEA(Data Envelopment Analysis} and among DEA methods CCR and BCC model has been used. According to the results of CCR model Gamman in 2004 and Gamcheon in 2004 are found to be the most efficient terminals in the sample and the inefficient terminals include Gwangyang Phase 2 terminal. Based on BCC model Gamcheon and Uam are identified as the most efficient terminals in three consecutive years including Gamman terminal in 2004. The inefficient terminals include New Gamman in 2002 and Hutchison in 2002. The research findings show that inefficient terminals need to fully utilise their terminal facilities and increase container throughput through effective marketing activities.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.43-64
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• 2012

Emerging technologies have significant implications in establishing competitive advantages and are characterized by continuous rapid development. Efficient benchmarking is more and more important in the development of emerging technologies. Similar input level and importance are two necessary criteria need to be considered for emerging technology's benchmarking. In this study, we proposed a sequential use of self-organizing map(SOM), data envelopment analysis(DEA) and analytical hierarchy process(AHP) method for the stepwise benchmarking of emerging technology. The proposed method uses two-level SOM to cluster the emerging technologies with similar required input levels together, then, in each cluster, uses DEA-BCC model to evaluate the efficiencies of the emerging technologies and do tier analysis to form tiers. On each tier, AHP rating method is used to calculate each emerging technology's importance priority. The optimal benchmarking path of each cluster is established by connecting the emerging technologies with the highest importance priority. In order to validate the proposed method, we apply it to a case of biotechnology. The result shows the proposed method can overcome difficulties in benchmarking, select suitable benchmarking targets and make the benchmarking process more efficient and reasonable.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 2018

Niobium is a candidate base for new alloys devoted to applications at especially elevated temperatures. Elaborating and shaping niobium-based alloys by conventional foundry may lead to mechanically interesting microstructures. In this work a series of charges constituted of pure elements were subjected to high frequency induction melting in cold crucible to try obtaining cast highly refractory Nb-xCr and Nb-xCr-0.4 wt.%Calloys(x=27, 34 and 37 wt.%). Melting and solidification were successfully achieved. The as-cast microstructures of the obtained alloys were characterized by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction and their hardness were specified by Vickers macro-indentation. The obtained as-cast microstructures are composed of a body centered cubic (bcc) niobium dendritic matrix and of an interdendritic eutectic compound involving the bcc Nb phase and a $NbCr_2$ Laves phase. The obtained alloys are hard to cut and particularly brittle at room temperature. Hardness is of a high level (higher than 600Hv) and is directly driven by the chromium content or the amount of {bcc Nb - $NbCr_2$} eutectic compound. Adding 0.4 wt.% of carbon did not lead to carbides but tends to increase hardness.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.473-478
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• 2006

The coherent interface energies and misfit strain energies of Fe/XN (X=Ti, Zr, Hf) systems were calculated by first principles method. The interface energies in Fe/TiN, Fe/ZrN and Fe/HfN systems were 0.343, 0.114, and 0.030 $J/m^2$, respectively. Influence of bond energy was estimated using the discrete lattice plane/nearest neighbor broken bond(DLP/NNBB) model. It was found that the dependence of interface energy on the type of nitride was closely related to changes of the bond energies between Fe, X and N atoms before and after formation of the Fe/XN interfaces. The misfit strain energies in Fe/TiN, Fe/ZrN, and Fe/HfN systems were 0.239, 1.229, and 0.955 eV per 16 atoms(Fe; 8 atoms and XN; 8 atoms). More misfit strain energy was generated as the difference of lattice parameters between the bulk Fe and the bulk XNs increased.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to suggest a major strategy to become effective for each port in Northeast Asia by analyzing the relative efficiency of each port to determine the current level of efficiency, efficient harbors plan. Individual port of the major 16 ports in Northeast Asia was analysed targeting efficiency and relative efficiency. In this study, DEA technique was used. Of the DEA model, CCR (constant returns to scale) models and BCC (variable return to scale) model was applied to analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of the port. Then the efficiency measured through CCR model is again compared with the efficiency measured by the BCC model. In this way, the empirical analysis includes the input factors of the operating ports such as the number of berths, wharf, depth, total area of the pier, C / C numbers and output elements includes the container throughput. The results of the study show that most of the ports in China is efficient whereas those in Korea and Japan are relatively inefficient. There are some pairs of ports which has the similar input factors, like Busan port and Shanghai port, Lianyungang port and Incheon port, Dalian port and Gwangyang port, but the container throughput of them has a huge difference.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3797-3800
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• 2014

Background: BMI1, TWIST1 and SNAI2/SLUG have been implicated in aggressive behavior of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma and BMI1 expression could identify subtypes of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). However, BMI1, TWIST1 and SNAI2 expression levels in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) have not been elucidated. We hypothesized BCC could be a good model system to decipher mechanisms which inhibit processes that drive tumor metastasis. The aim of this study was to examine the mRNA expression level of BMI1, TWIST1, and SNAI2 in BCCs. Materials and Methods: Thirty-five fresh non-metastatic BCC tissue samples and seven fresh normal skin tissue samples were evaluated by real-time RT-PCR. Results: BMI1 and TWIST1 demonstrated marked down-regulation (p<0.00l, p=0.00l respectively), but SNAI2 showed no significant change (p=0.12). Conclusions: Previous literature has clearly demonstrated a positive association between BMI1 and TWIST1 expression and metastatic BCC, aggressive SCC and melanoma. Here, we demonstrated a negative association between BMI1 and TWIST1 mRNA expression level and BCC.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.30.1-30.12
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• 2018

Objectives: To evaluate sealing ability of root canals obturated with bioceramic-impregnated gutta percha cone (BCC) or gutta percha (GP), with bioceramic sealer (BCS) or AH Plus (AH; Dentsply-Maillefer), in roundly-prepared canals using matched single-cone technique, based on bacterial leakage test, and to analyze obturation quality using micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis. Materials and Methods: Ninety-two distobuccal roots of maxillary molars were prepared using nickel-titanium files to apical size 40/0.06. The roots were divided into 4 groups (n = 20) that were obturated with a master cone and sealer: GP/AH, BCC/AH, GP/BCS, and BCC/BCS. Bacterial leakage model using Enterococcus faecalis was used to evaluate sealing ability for 60-day period. Obturated samples from each group (n = 4) were analyzed using micro-CT. Results: All groups showed bacterial leakage at 20%-45% of samples with mean leakage times of 42-52 days. There were no significant differences in bacterial leakage among the groups. Micro-CT showed minimal gaps and voids in all groups at less than 1%. Conclusions: In roundly-prepared canals, the single cone obturation with BCC/BCS was comparable to GP/AH for bacterial leakage at 60 days.