• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.176-198
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• 2018

Environmental issues are among the most critical issues nowadays. These issues are no longer confined to individual countries, and international society has been progressing in building global dialogues since the early 1970s. Within these international efforts, Germany and Japan have played essential roles in global environmental governance. However, there are major differences in nation-level environmental policies in both countries. Governance based on network structure is more efficient than that based on hierarchy for solving complex problems. The network structure is formed through horizontal cooperation among various autonomous actors, and the relationship intensity among actors is one of the key concepts in the governance. Using social network analysis as a framework to explain complicated societal structures explains how interaction among actors creates networks, and these networks further affect their interactions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the structure of environmental policy governance as collaborative governance in Germany and Japan. To address this goal, this paper analyzes the relationship between the informational dimension of governance networks and its complement resource-sharing networks in both countries. The results show that the information-sharing networks have lower-level network influence on the resource-sharing networks as higher-level networks even if not all of the information factors have singular influences. The results suggest that the information-sharing networks may be one of the pieces of the puzzle for explaining this phenomenon in environmental governance in Germany and Japan.

• Journal of Broadcast Engineering
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.854-860
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• 2020

Deep neural networks have shown remarkable performance in various areas, including image classification and speech recognition. The variety of data generated by augmentation plays an important role in improving the performance of the neural network. The transformation of data in the augmentation process makes it possible for neural networks to be learned more generally through more diverse forms. In the traditional field of image process, not only new augmentation methods have been proposed for improving the performance, but also exploring methods for an optimal augmentation policy that can be changed according to the dataset and structure of networks. Inspired by the prior work, this paper aims to explore to search for an optimal augmentation policy in the field of sound data. We carried out many experiments randomly combining various augmentation methods such as adding noise, pitch shift, or time stretch to empirically search which combination is most effective. As a result, by applying the optimal data augmentation policy we achieve the improved classification accuracy on the environmental sound classification dataset (ESC-50).

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.90-117
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• 2019

How is science advice integrated in environmental policymaking? This is an increasingly pertinent question that is being raised since the nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima, Japan, in 2011. Global re-evaluation of energy policies and climate mitigation measures include discussions on how to better integrate science advice in policymaking, and at the same time keeping science independent from political influence. This paper addressed the policy discourse of setting up a national CO2 reduction target in Japanese policymaking between 2009 and 2012. The target proposed by the former DPJ government was turned down, and Japan lacked a clear strategy for long-term climate mitigation. The analysis provides explanations from a quantitative actor-network perspective. Centrality measures from social network analysis for policy actors in an environmental policy network of Japan were calculated to identify those actors that control the discourse. Data used for analysis comes from the Global Environmental Policy Actor Network 2 (GEPON 2) survey conducted in Japan (2012-13). Science advice in Japan was kept independent from political influence and was mostly excluded from policymaking. One of the two largest discourse coalitions in the environmental policy network promoted a higher CO2 reduction target for international negotiations but favored lowering the target after a new international agreement would have been set. This may explain why Japan struggled to commit to long-term mitigation strategies. Applying social network analysis to quantitatively calculate discourse coalitions was a feasible methodology for investigating "discursive power." But limited in discussing the "practice" (e.g. meetings, telephone, or email conversations) among the actors in discourse coalitions.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.526-538
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• 2007

Since air quality monitoring data sets are important base for developing of air quality management strategies including policy making and policy performance assessment, the environmental protection authorities need to organize and operate monitoring network properly. Air quality monitoring network of Busan, consisting of 18 stations, was allocated under unscientific and irrational principles. Thus the current state of air quality monitoring networks was reassessed the effect and appropriateness of monitoring objectives such as population protection and sources surveillance. In the process of the reassessment, a GIS-based decision support system was constructed and used to simulate air quality over complex terrain and to conduct optimization analysis for air quality monitoring network with multi-objective. The maximization of protection capability for population appears to be the most effective and principal objective among various objectives. The relocation of current monitoring stations through optimization analysis of multi-objective appears to be better than the network building for maximization of population protection capability. The decision support system developed in this study on the basis of GIS-based database appear to be useful for the environmental protection authorities to plan and manage air quality monitoring network over complex terrain.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.81-91
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• 2011

Air quality monitoring networks are very important facilities to manage urban air pollution control and to set up an environmental policy. Since air quality monitoring network of Daegu was allocated from 1980s to mid-90s, there is need to reevaluate it and relocated its site. This study was evaluated the position of Daegu air quality monitoring station by unit environmental sensitivity index, grid emission rate, CAI (Comprehensive Air-quality Index) point. The investigation domain covered an area of 16 $\times$ 24 km centered at the metropolitan area of Daegu with grid spacing of 2 km. The location of alternative air quality monitoring networks was selected through optimization and quintiles analysis of total score. The result showed that all things considered, new air quality monitoring network need to install grid numbers 10, 28, 36, 37, 46. We also recommand three scenarios of alternative air quality monitoring network when considering unit environmental sensitivity index, emission rate and CAI point.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.61-102
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• 2011

The purpose of this article is to anatomize the political dynamics of South Korea's healthcare policymaking through the integrative analytical framework combining the policy network perspective and the advocacy coalition theory. This framework is expected to be advantageous to the analysis of Korea's turbulent healthcare policy change from a systematic and process-driven point of view. A target of analysis is the two decades of turbulence to transform the health insurance system into a single payer system. Through the analysis, this article tries to illuminate the dynamics of Korea's healthcare policymaking, by connecting environmental context, policy networks, advocacy coalitions, and policy outputs. For a case study, this article classifies the debates to inaugurate a single payer system into four sub-phases and conducts longitudinal comparative research.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.7
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• pp.403-411
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• 2021

This study discusses the influence of economic factors on the clothing exports from China and 15 South and Southeast Asian countries to the United States. A basic gravity trade model with three predictors, including the GDP value produced by exporting and importing countries and their geographical distance was established to explain the bilateral trade patterns. The conventional approach of multiple regression and the novel approach of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were developed based on the value of clothing exports from 2012 to 2018 and applied to the trade pattern prediction of 2019. The results showed that ANNs can achieve a more accurate prediction in bilateral trade patterns than the commonly-used econometric analysis of the basic gravity trade model. Future studies can examine the predictive power of ANNs on an extended gravity model of trade that includes explanatory variables in social and environmental areas, such as policy, initiative, agreement, and infrastructure for trade facilitation, which are crucial for policymaking and managerial consideration. More research should be conducted for the examination of the balance between developing countries' economic growth and their social and environmental sustainability and for the application of more advanced machine-learning algorithms of global trade flow examination.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.41-63
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• 2016

Energy policy is known to have higher path dependency among policy fields (Kuper and van Soest, 2003; OECD, 2012; Kikkawa, 2013) and is a critical component of the infrastructure development undertaken in the early stages of nation building. Actor roles, such as those played by interest groups, are firmly formed, making it unlikely that institutional change can be implemented. In resource-challenged Japan, energy policy is an especially critical policy area for the Japanese government. In comparing energy policy making in Japan and Germany, Japan’s policy community is relatively firm (Hartwig et al., 2015), and it is improbable that institutional change can occur. The Japanese government’s approach to energy policy has shifted incrementally in the past half century, with the most recent being the 2012 implementation of the “Feed-In Tariff Law” (Act on Special Measures Concerning Procurement of Renewable Electric Energy by Operators of Electric Utilities), which encourages new investment in renewable electricity generation and promotes the use of renewable energy. Yet, who were the actors involved and the factors that influenced the establishment of this new law? This study attempts to assess the factors associated with implementing the law as well as the roles of the relevant major actors. In answering this question, we focus on identifying the policy networks among government, political parties, and interest groups, which suggests that success in persuading key economic groups could be a factor in promoting the law. Our data is based on the “Global Environmental Policy Network Survey 2012-2013 (GEPON2)” which was conducted immediately after the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake with respondents including political parties, the government, interest groups, and civil society organizations. Our results suggest that the Feed in Tariff (FIT) Law’s network structure is similar to the information network and support network, and that the actors at the center of the network support the FIT Law. The strength of our research lays in our focus on political networks and their contributing mechanism to the law’s implementation through analysis of the political process. From an academic perspective, identifying the key actors and factors may be significant in explaining institutional change in policy areas with high path dependency. Close examination of this issue also has implications for a society that can promote renewable and sustainable energy resources.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.797-806
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• 2019

The purposes of this study are to comprehend the importance of policy in improving the operation of the public arboretum and survey the program satisfaction of participants and operators based on the case of the Daegu arboretum. According to the order of policy priority regarding the Daegu arboretum, the expansion of the education program topped the list with 0.155 points, followed by the establishment of a vision and goal, and the reestablishment of function, which scored 0.135 and 0.135 points, respectively. Fostering citizens' participation through volunteer work was in the upper ranks with 0.131 points. Building networks among public arboretums and constructing a research cooperation system with universities turned up with 0.09 and 0.075 points. As the result of program satisfaction, participants' satisfaction was around 0.66 points higher than that of operators' satisfaction. In the case of participants, comprehensive satisfaction, including that with the program operation method, was very high at 4.85 points. Out of the entire program, the operators were the most satisfied with the benefits. This study aims to share improvement plans for public arboretums constructed in urban areas, analyzing policy priorities and satisfaction related to the Daegu arboretum. The results of this study can be utilized as data for the improvement plans of public arboretums. If improvement plans for public arboretums are modeled with other follow-up case studies, it will help ensure that public arboretums become evolving rather than fixed areas for citizens.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.85-99
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• 2020

This article analyzes the influence of sectoral system of innovation(i.e. technological regime, market demand, networks, and institution) on innovative performances(i.e. product-, process-, organizational-, marketing-, and environmental- innovation) in Korean environmental industry, conducting a multiple regression analysis based on survey data from 201 Korean environmental companies. As the results, product innovation is positively influenced by internal technology accumulation and market demand response, while not affected by external knowledge utilization, market competition, networks among market and non-market agents, government support and regulation. Process innovation is positively influenced by internal technology accumulation, networks among non-market agents and regulation, but not by external knowledge utilization, market demand response, market competition, networks among market agents, and government support. While organizational innovation is positively influenced by internal technology accumulation, external knowledge utilization and regulation, it is not affected by market demand response, market competition, networks among market and non-market agents, and government support. While marketing innovation is positively influenced by internal technology accumulation, networks among non-market agents, and government support, it is not affected by external knowledge utilization, market demand response, market competition, networks among market agents, and regulation. Environmental innovation is positively influenced by external knowledge utilization and regulation, but negatively influenced by market competition. It is not affected by internal technology accumulation, market demand response, networks among market and non-market agents, and government support. Such results suggests the following policy implications. First, it is necessary to expand the sphere of relating markets through the application of convergence technology, new regulations, and overseas markets. Second, reinforcing ecosystems among environmental market agents through demand-linked joint R&D should be revitalized. Third, it is needed to strengthen more supporting policies rather than regulation. This article has the limitation of using the survey data. And further researches on the environmental sectoral system of innovation structure itself will be tried.