• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.101-116
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• 2018

As one of the most important engineering structures, arch dams are huge constructions built with human hands and have strategical importance. Because of the fact that long construction duration, water supply, financial reasons, major loss of life and material since failure etc., the design of arch dams is very important problem and should be done by expert engineers to determine the structural behavior more accurately. Finite element analyses and non-destructive experimental measurements can be used to investigate the structural response, but there are some difficulties such as spending a long time while modelling, analysis and in-situ testing. Therefore, it is more useful to conduct the research on the laboratory conditions and to transform the obtained results into real constructions. Within the scope of this study, it is aimed to determine the structural behavior of arch dams considering experimentally validated prototype laboratory model using similitude and scaling laws. Type-1 arch dam, which is one of five arch dam types suggested at the "Arch Dams" Symposium in England in 1968 is selected as reference prototype model. The dam is built considering dam-reservoir-foundation interaction and ambient vibration tests are performed to validate the finite element results such as dynamic characteristics, displacements, principal stresses and strains. These results are considered as reference parameters and used to determine the real arch dam response with different scales factors such as 335, 400, 416.67 and 450. These values are selected by considering previously examined dam projects. Arch heights are calculated as 201 m, 240 m, 250 m and 270 m, respectively. The structural response is investigated between the model and prototype by using similarity requirements, field equations, scaling laws etc. To validate these results, finite element models are enlarged in the same scales and analyses are repeated to obtain the dynamic characteristics, displacements, principal stresses and strains. At the end of the study, it is seen that there is a good agreement between all results obtained by similarity requirements with scaling laws and enlarged finite element models.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.135-149
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• 2019

Accounts receivable insurance is a system in which small and medium-sized enterprises insure the accounts receivables acquired by the purchasing company, and the insurance company pays when the purchaser fails to pay the debts. Accounts receivable insurance is a very effective means of eliminating the risk of loss due to the counterparty default, and it is economically effective to protect the domestic industry by preventing the bankruptcy of one company leading to a chain bankruptcy of other companies. In this study, we constructed a business model of the accounts receivable insurance, by building an infrastructure based on a private blockchain in activating the accounts receivable insurance accounts. The accounts receivable insurance platform using these blockchain technologies not only addressed the problem of document and reliability verification for insurance, but also sought ways to facilitate accounts receivable insurance by small businesses through rapid transaction rates, easy network expansion and access management based on private blockchain.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.59-69
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• 2020

This study is a qualitative study in which a focus group interview is applied to explore nursing students' perception of blended learning. 21 students in the 4th grade of nursing department were divided into 4 groups to collect data through interviews and content analysis was conducted. As a result of the study, it was categorized into four topics: 'Application and operation that are not thoroughly prepared', 'Loss of direction and departure from learning', 'One-way listening', and 'Convenience'. Students were satisfied with blended learning which is free from time and space constraints and repetitive, but felt inadequacy and unsatisfactoriness about quality of online contents, system, and preparation for applying blended learning. In order to apply blended learning in the future nursing classes, high-quality online content should be developed based on the effective design of online and offline classes considering the curriculum, and a systematic, administrative, financial, and institutional foundation to support online course should be prepared. In addition, a support system should be created to guide students' self-directed learning activities in online classes of blended learning.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.29-45
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• 1985

Computed Tomography Scanner (CT) is highly expensive in operation as well as purchasing. That reason may cause not only to increase the burden of patients but also to waste the capital resources leading to financial difficulties. However the numbers of CT installed throughout the country is increasing, because of efficiency in medical care, patient's concern, competitions among the hospitals within the same area. In the non-Metropolitan area the scanners were expected to be less utilized and less profitable. Nine hospitals equipped with the CT were studied on the utilization of that equipment during the period from November 1984 to February 1985 in non-Metropolitan area and break-even point in one hospital was analyzed for estimating profitabilities. The results were as follows ; 1. Among those nine hospitals, four hospitals had less than 400 beds, which is one of the restrictive minimum standards on the installation of Whole-body Computed Tomography Scanner. 2. The operating time during the normal operation period was longer than those of any other studies, but the accumulated down time was also longer than those of any other studies. The average number of scanning per week for each CT was 45, while the estimated number of for the break-even point was 56.7 cases. 3. When the downtime was excluded in calculating the average operation would be much closer to the cases for the break-even point. Therefore the break-down of the equipment was to be a main cause of the low profitability. 4. The average scanning rate for head area was 33.6%, however three of the nine hospitals showed about 20%. 5. If scanning ratio for the body parts excepting head was increased, the number of scanning for the break-even point would be diminished. 6. The small size hospital especially located near the Metropolitan area showed largest loss in the CT operation. In purchasing the highly expensive equipments in hospitals, demand should be taken into account and planning is recommended.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1263-1274
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• 2013

VaR (value at risk), which represents the expectation of the worst loss that may occur over a period of time within a given level of confidence, is currently used by various financial institutions for the purpose of risk management. In the majority of previous studies, the probability of return has been modeled with normal distribution. Recently Chen et al. (2010) measured VaR with asymmetric Laplacian distribution. However, it is difficult to estimate the mode, the skewness, and the degree of variance that determine the shape of an asymmetric Laplacian distribution with limited data in the real-world market. In this paper, we show that the VaR estimated with (symmetric) Laplacian distribution model provides more accuracy than those with normal distribution model or asymmetric Laplacian distribution model with real world stock market data and with various statistical measures.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.175-188
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• 2014

This study examined the effects of demographic variables and psychological mechanisms (self-efficacy, need for closure, and fashion innovativeness) on each of the four types of impulsive buying, including suggestion impulsive buying, stimulus impulsive buying, pure impulsive buying, and reminder impulsive buying. In addition, the study analyzed the impact these four types had on evaluations after impulsive buying (i.e., diversion in mood, regret for buying decision and a sense of financial loss, and dissatisfaction of products). Data was collected by a marketing research company from five hundreds consumers in seven different cities of South Korea who experienced impulsive buying in the off-line apparel stores within the past three months. The results of regression analyses indicated that self-efficacy and gender significantly affected suggestion impulsive buying. That is, the higher consumers' self-efficacy, the greater their suggestion impulsive buying was. In addition, women had higher Suggestion Impulsive Buying than men did. However, in case of Stimulus Impulsive Buying, gender was the only significant antecedent. That is, women had higher stimulus impulsive buying than men did. In terms of pure impulsive buying, fashion innovativeness was a significant predictor, and for the reminder impulsive buying level, fashion innovativeness and need for closure were significant predictors. Finally, pure and suggestion impulsive buying were correlated with positive consumer evaluations, while both stimulus and reminder impulsive buyings were correlated with negative consumer evaluations. Implications and future studies were discussed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.139-145
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• 1993

Biogas created from animal waste is a precious energy source. A practical and successful utilization of the biogas is not easy, because there lie some difficulties in biogas production and facilities investment. In this study, the requisites for a successful biogas utilization were discussed. The production results obtained in the previous operation of anaerobic digestion plant were used for the simulation. When the slurry heating was designed for constant biogas generation, depreciation costs of the facilities amounted 1,175,000 yen per year, and biogas productions at $24.5^{\circ}C$, $30.0^{\circ}C$ and $35.5^{\circ}C$ were $16.8m^3$, $17.6m^3$ and $25.1m^3$, respectively. Removal ratios of organic matters were not so high. At $35.5^{\circ}C$, energy value of the biogas produced was estimated 125.5 Mcal per day, and the following heat loss (y Mcal/day) was brought about by the temperature difference ($X^{\circ}C$) between the digester and atmosphere; y = 0.769X - 5.375. The costs of biogas production per cow were assumed to decrease according to enlargement of feeding scale, especially on scales of more than 30 cows. On recent levels of costs and prices of energy in Japan, they were nearly equal to 2 to 3 fold of the price of municipal mixed gas when a anaerobic digester was compulsorily heated and kept at $30.0^{\circ}C$ or $35.5^{\circ}C$.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1677-1684
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• 2016

Background: Among the factors reported to determine the quality of life of breast cancer patients are socio-demographic background, clinical stage, type of treatment received, and the duration since diagnosis. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the quality of life (QOL) scores among breast cancer patients at a Malaysian public hospital. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study of breast cancer patients was conducted between March to June 2013. QOL scores were determined using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and its breast cancer supplementary measure (QLQ-BR23). Both the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 assess items from functional and symptom scales. The QLQ-C30 in addition also measures the Global Health Status (GHS). Systematic random sampling was used to recruit patients. Results: 223 breast cancer patients were recruited with a response rate of 92.1%. The mean age of the patients was 52.4 years (95% CI = 51.0, 53.7, SD=10.3). Majority of respondents are Malays (60.5%), followed by Chinese (19.3%), Indians (18.4%), and others (1.8%). More than 50% of respondents are at stage III and stage IV of malignancy. The mean Global Health Status was 65.7 (SD = 21.4). From the QLQ-C30, the mean score in the functioning scale was highest for 'cognitive functioning' (84.1, SD=18.0), while the mean score in the symptom scale was highest for 'financial difficulties' (40.1, SD=31.6). From the QLQ-BR23, the mean score for functioning scale was highest for 'body image' (80.0, SD=24.6) while the mean score in the symptom scale was highest for 'upset by hair loss' (36.2, SD=29.4). Two significant predictors for Global Health Status were age and employment. The predictors explained 10.6% of the variation of global health status ($R^2=0.106$). Conclusions: Age and employment were found to be significant predictors for Global Health Status (GHS). The Quality of Life among breast cancer patients reflected by the GHS improves as age and employment increases.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.52-61
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• 2015

Objectives: Because recently hospital had to faced with financial hardship, we have to have more effective hospital management. The purpose of this study was to reduce loss costs of the hospital through the systematic management of medical supplies and increase operational efficiency. Methods: The team was composed of outpatient nursing staff, medical record administrator, nurses in medical insurance, medical computer center, dermatologists for this study. We surveyed for 114 people including outpatient nursing staff, nurse aids, medical assistant, physician assistant. Pre-survey period was 2013.03.11 ~ 03.30(2 weeks), and post-survey period was 2013.09.03 ~ 09.17(2 weeks). Result: We improved this way through the computational improvement, conservation campaigns, inventory management, staff training, replaced by low-cost medical supplies. The finding of this study were as follows: Comparing before and after the activity of outpatient nursing staff's degree of knowledge, performance, economic consciousness, the degree of knowledge, performance was increased, but there was no significant change in economic consciousness. Performance of Married person is higher than the unmarried, In addition, the high-position people were more the degree of knowleage, economic consciousness. After activity, correlation of goods and treatment, examinations is increasing, but statistically there was no mean. Conclusion: This study revealed that knowledge in a short period of activity, but also can improve, perform the same change in behavior is not easy. This one shows the intensive training required to sustained and systematic behavioral changes, such as changes in behavior, perform rituals to help the economy. Expensive medical supplies to replace a similar effect as the cost of materials just to have a lot of cost savings. Therefore, more medical supplies change is necessary to develop alternative treatment and cost cutting.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2013

This study compared and analysed ground vibration, size of underwater background noise in fish farms and underwater object noise of blasting and obtained ground vibration prediction equation through a regression analysis and correlation equation between underwater object noises in order to predict degrees of underwater noise in blasting and organize underwater noise control regulations. Before the study, when background noise of fish and shellfish farms with different conditions was measured, levels of background noise were different according to environmental characteristics of each farm. Ground vibration which causes underwater noise was measured to obtain a correlation equation between ground vibration and underwater object noise. Therefore, if underwater noise is predicted for each construction with a use of a correlation and permissible standards appropriate for each condition are applied for design and construction, financial loss from damages to fish and shellfish caused by development of insufficient technological and engineering logic can be prevented and successful construction with safety of underwater creatures guaranteed can be achieved.