• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.186-194
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• 2017

Objectives: A significant concern has been raised about the emerging resistance that is largely caused by the excessive or inappropriate use of antibacterial agents for viral respiratory infections. This study investigated the trend of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and the use of antibiotics. Methods: Utilizing the national level health insurance claims data from 2005 to 2008, we examined encounter days, antibiotic use, and the prescription rate for respiratory tract infections including upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), and otitis media in outpatient settings. The antibiotic use was measured as defined daily dose per 1,000 patients per day (DDD/1,000 patients/day). Results: The visit for URTI increased from 141,693,465 in 2005 to 120,717,966 in 2008 and the visit for LRTI decreased from 61,778,718 to 66,930,122. For RTIs, prescription rates of antibiotics decreased from 65.2% to 58.5% for URTIs and 76.9% to 68.3% for LRTIs from 2005 to 2008. The antibiotic use decreased to 20.85 DDD/1,000 patients/day after a significant increase of 22.01 DDD/1,000 patients/day in 2006. Among antibiotics, J01CR had the highest use- 7.93 DDD/1,000 patients/day followed by J01DC of 3.71 DDD/1,000 patients/day and J01FA of 3.2 DDD/1,000 patients/day. One notable trend is that J01FA presented a continuous increase in antibiotic use from 2.3 in 2005 to 3.26 DDD/1,000 patients/day in 2008. Conclusion: The use of antibiotics had poor compliance to guidelines for RTIs. Despite decrease in the use of antibiotics, prescription rates for URTIs were still about 50% indicating that the delayed prescribing antibiotics (or wait-and-see) were not observed.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.124-139
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• 2011

This study was to explore epistemological features presented in texts of exhibit panels in the science museum located in Gyeonggi Province. Out-of-school or daily experiences allow more properly and potentially students to form informative science image, because the understandings of scientific epistemology were constructed tacitly through various experiences over a long period of time. The target for this study was panel texts of exhibits in a science museum as an of out-of-school context. The analytical framework was adopted from epistemological frameworks by Ryder et al. (1999). The research results were explored in the categories of relationship between scientific knowledge claims and the data, the nature of lines of scientific enquiry, and social dimension of science. It revealed that one exhibit might reflect the characteristics of one epistemological position: relating one data to one knowledge claim; generating knowledge claim from scientists' individual interests or from discipline's internal epistemology; scientists working as a community or an institution. Findings suggested that the exhibits of a science museum including panel texts and medium need to reflect the wide ranges of scientific epistemology.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.237-245
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• 2020

The development of information and communication technology (ICT) provides many opportunities for businesses to increase productivity, to have better relationships with customers and suppliers, and to develop new products more efficiently and effectively. However, recently, there have been claims that ICT development in a country would increase income inequality of the country. In this debate, we examine the impact of ICT development on the income inequality at the country level. Data of 28 OECD countries were used for our study. According to results of the analysis, a country with a higher level of ICT development is likely to have a lower the level of income inequality. There have been many concerns that development of ICTs may result in a higher level of income inequality mainly because wealthy companies or individuals can more affordable to utilize advanced ICT and ICTs have replaced labor. However, there has been no such identified impact, at least in recent OECD countries. Rather, we can expect ICT development to play a role in lowering income inequality of a country.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1525-1531
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• 2012

Cigarette smoking is one of the most important public health concerns in Korea and worldwide. A number of studies have been conducted to measure the health and economic burden of smoking, but these did not reflect recent changes such as the decrease in smoking rate and the increase in the incidence of cancer. The purpose of this study was to provide up-to-date estimates of the health and economic burden of cancer caused by smoking and to compare the results with those of previous studies. Cancer-related burden was assessed with nationally representative data such as claims data from the National Health Insurance Corporation, and cause of death records from the National Statistical Office and the Korea Health Panel. We determined the smoking-attributable burden by multiplying the smoking-attributable fraction by the total burden. As a result, the burden of major cancers due to smoking was found to be substantial despite a recent sharp decrease in smoking by the Korean population. The total economic cost reaches $2,234.0 million in males and $870.0 million in females. Also, the health burden of cancers due to smoking is 2,038.9 disability adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 individuals in men and 732.2 DALYs per 100,000 individuals in women. Among all cancers, cancers of the trachea, lungs and bronchus are the leading causes of health and economic burden. The huge burden caused by cancers linked to smoking makes it imperative that adequate policies to decrease the prevalence of smoking be developed, particularly considering the recent increase in smoking rate among women.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.12-26
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• 2018

This study examined the effects of SSI argumentation program on the preservice biology teachers' decision-making types and communication ability. The SSI argumentation program was developed based on 'Social Decision-Making & Problem-Solving strategy' and Toulmin's argumentation pattern. The preservice teachers had opportunities of SSI argumentation through small group discussions. They were asked to identify the issues regarding SSI, think of solutions, and make a decision along with claims, warrants, data, and rebuttals. The preservice biology teachers experienced four SSI topics of abortion, euthanasia, gene manipulation, artificial intelligence. The results indicated that the preservice biology teachers significantly improved the communication ability after the intervention, but they did not change their types of decision-making. In addition, after the intervention, the Pearson correlation results indicated that 'the logical type' of decision-making significantly relates to the communication ability(p<.01). The preservice biology teachers mentioned that they improved their ability of considering warrants, data, background information, context, and rebuttals. Further, the preserivce biology teachers mentioned that they became take an interest in socioscientific issues and improved their ability of accepting criticism from others as well as caring about others when they argue each other. This study implicated that the SSI argumentation program has effects on improving personality education in school science.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.201-209
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• 2012

This study aims to explore patterns and characteristics of coordination between evidence and theories which were found in pre-service elementary teachers' writing for their science inquiry. Five science inquiry activities and a total of 115 writings of the participant teacher at the elementary teacher preparation university in Korea were collected and analyzed for this study. Based on the writing analyses there were found four types of coordination between the evidence and theory. We proposed four types as: Type 1-Consistency of evidence and theory; Type 2-Consistence of evidence and theory including more extension or elaboration of theory; Type 3-Inconsistence of evidence and theory Type 4-Inconsistence of evidence and theory followed by coordination of them. Firstly the findings indicated that the most to least frequent types were Type 1, Type 3, Type 2, and Type 4. The most frequent type was Type 1. It is interpreted that theory in the inquiry questions were frequently figured out by participants and they selected supporting evidence out of data found. There were rarely found relations between activity topics and frequencies of coordination types except in activity 1. The findings in this study will connect to the point of how students collaborate their previously owned knowledge with experiment planning, data analysis and interpretation and making of their own scientific claims.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.187-197
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of outpatient cost sharing reduction on health care utilization of children under 6 years old. Methods : The data in this analysis was the health insurance claims data between August 2006 and July 2008. The study group was divided into two age groups, namely 0-5 years old and 6-10 years old. This study evaluated the impact of policy change on office visits per person and expenditure per visit. In order to do so, the double difference analysis is used. Results: The results showed that outpatient cost-sharing reduction has never really had a huge impact on office visits per person and expenditure per visit. Conclusions: This study showed that the outpatient cost sharing reduction for children under 6 years old policy is not working. Therefore, cost sharing of National Health Insurance by income class is needed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.146-155
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• 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes of coronary artery bypass surgery for ischemic heart disease according to use of a cardiopulmonary bypass machine. The subjects were 10,981 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting for ischemic heart disease from July 2008 to June 2012. Analysis data were retrospectively collected using health insurance claims data. The results of the study showed that mean time to surgery (280 min vs 357 min, p<0.0001) and intubation time (about 24 hours vs 40 hours, p<0.0001) were significantly shorter in the Off-Pump CABG (OPCAB) group than in the On-Pump CABG (ONCAB) group. The rate of reoperation because of postoperative bleeding and hematoma was lower in the OPCAB group (2.7% vs 8.3%, p<.0001). The odds ratio of risk adjusted 30 days mortality rate was 0.339 (0.266-0.434) and the postoperative length of stay was decreased in the OPCAB (p<0.0001). Overall, the 30 days mortality and reoperation rates were lower in the OPCAB, as was the resources use.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.76-86
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• 2016

Recently, the Contracts of International Construction Business has been decreased from the beginning of 2015 in Korea, although it has been steadily increased until 2014. This trend could be caused by Low-Price Contracts, the lack of Know-how and experience in operating, the poor management of Claims and Low-Profitability in Business. It has been recognized that the qualitative improvement of Business Contacts are necessary for successful Projects. In the Bidding Process, therefore, Experience data as In-House Data and Lessons Learned for projects should be strategically involved to assure riskless offers. Accordingly the Proposal Process are needed to be organized and enhanced by including processes for risks review about technical, marketing and commercial part during the bidding. This paper proposes a Risk Management Process model during Bidding Phase, using Risk Evaluation Method through the project life-cycle. The Concept of Model is to define CSF (Critical Success Factor) in the bidding process and Risk Factors are linked to CSF and Organization based on RAM (Responsibility assignment matrix).

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.33-49
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• 2017

Background: Health care utilizations and costs of the patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease in Korea increased dramatically. We analyzed whether hospital market competition is associated with charges and length of stay for patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease. Methods: We used Medical claims data of 2002 and 2010 from the nationwide representative sample of National Health Insurance Service of Korea. The study subjects were inpatients with degenerative lumbar spine disease (N=24,768) in 2002 and 2010. We employed a multilevel linear mixed model that included patient- and hospital-level variables in hierarchical data. Results: Higher hospital competition was associated with lower charges (${\beta}=57.5$, p<.0001 in 2002; ${\beta}=353.7$, p<.0001 in 2010) and shorter length of stay (${\beta}=0.3$, p<.0001 in 2002; ${\beta}=0.9$, p<.0001 in 2010) in both 2002 and 2010. Compared to 2002, the magnitude of such association became greater in 2010. However, subgroup analyses show that the influence of competition on charges and length of stay differed by hospital size. Conclusions: This study showed that hospital market structure (e.g., hospital competition) affects hospital efficiency (i.e., hospital charges and length of stay). It is necessary to continue to monitor how changing market structure influences hospital outcomes, including more detailed outcomes such as patient satisfaction.