• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.202-215
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• 2015

This paper investigates the stability and performance of model predictive controlled active-front-end (AFE) rectifiers for energy storage systems, which has been increasingly applied in power distribution sectors and in renewable energy sources to ensure an uninterruptable power supply. The model predictive control (MPC) algorithm utilizes the discrete behavior of power converters to determine appropriate switching states by defining a cost function. The stability of the MPC algorithm is analyzed with the discrete z-domain response and the nonlinear simulation model. The results confirms that the control method of the active-front-end (AFE) rectifier is stable, and that is operates with an infinite gain margin and a very fast dynamic response. Moreover, the performance of the MPC controlled AFE rectifier is verified with a 3.0 kW experimental system. This shows that the MPC controlled AFE rectifier operates with a unity power factor, an acceptable THD (4.0 %) level for the input current and a very low DC voltage ripple. Finally, an efficiency comparison is performed between the MPC and the VOC-based PWM controllers for AFE rectifiers. This comparison demonstrates the effectiveness of the MPC controller.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.490-498
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• 2009

This study attempted to examine the profitability and marketing costs of seed potato under contract farming system of BADC (Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation) with the help of primary and secondary data. Total 45 contract farmers were randomly selected. Attempts were made to calculate costs, returns and profitability of seed potato production under contract farming system, and to identify marketing channels of seed potato. The field level data were collected by a farm survey during the months of April 2005 through direct interviews with contract farmers and registered dealers using a structure survey questionnaire. The results showed that the gross return per hectare was Tk. 252,464 for all categories of farms. Cost of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and human labor were critical inputs for profitability of seed potato. Cobb-Douglas production function analysis was used to determine the effects of the key variables to seed potato production under contract farming system. The elasticity of seed potato production was at 0.727 for all categories of farms. The findings exhibited that the summation of elasticity of different inputs for seed potato production was less than one, implying that the production function exhibited decreasing returns to scale. Registered dealers and Upazila Sales Centers were involved in seed potato marketing formed a straightforward marketing channel. The total marketing costs of registered dealers were Tk. 759.49 per ton of seed potato. The net marketing margin of registered dealers was estimated at Tk. 465.51 per ton of seed potato. The selected contract farmers and registered dealers faced a number of problems and some of recommendations were suggested.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.62-70
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• 2003

This article aims to summarize the development and application of menu engineering technique, 'Menu Engineering Modified by Preference (MEMP)'. The site selected for this project was a foodservice operation in Yonsei University residence hall. Sales and food costs data were collected from the daily sales reports for 1 month, and the survey of food preference was conducted during May, 1999. Statistical data analysis was completed using the SAS/Win 6.12 for descriptive analysis. The calculation for menu analysis were carried out with MS 2000 Excel spreadsheet program. This MEMP technique developed had 6 category criteria and 2 dimensions of the contribution margin (CM) and the menu mix modified% (MMM%) . The MMM% was calculated by the sales volumes and also weighted by food preference. The CM and MMM% for each item were compared with a mean menu CM as well as a 70% rule. Four possible classifications by MEMP were fumed out as 'STAR', 'PLOWHORSE', 'PUZZLE', 'DOG'. 'STAR' items were the most popular and profitable items and required to maintain rigid specifications for quality. The decision actions for 'PLOWHORSE' menu items which were relatively popular, but yield a low menu average CM included combining a plowhorse item with lower cost products and reducing the frequency of serving or serving size. There was a need for 'PUZZLE' items to be changed in the menu combination, improve recipe, and promote menu. The last DOG' items were desired to be deleted. This study demonstrates that menu information can be interpreted more easily with MEMP. The use of MEMP is therefore an effective way to improve management decisions about menu of university residence hall foodservice.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2014

In this study, the factors affecting the profitability of the oriental medicine hospitals of University to be analyzed. To do this, profitability indicators and current ratio, liquidity, turnover ratio, cost factors analysis and suggested ways to improve management. The results are as follows, the operating margin(1.17%). the return on assets(3.76%), the net profit to gross revenues(2.37%), and the net profit to total assets(-1.89) were lower than the average of the entire oriental medicine hospitals in Korea(respectively 8.9%, 8.7%, 2.6%, 2.5%). Current ratio(256.76%), quick ratio(231.17%), fixed ratio(121.02%), and total assets turnover(135.69%) were similar to the average of all oriental medicine hospitals in Korea. But growth rate of total assets(-2.21%), and growth rate of patient revenue(1.89%) is low. And salaries(53.39%), materials costs(16.62%), administrative expenses(28.58%) were different to the average of all oriental medicine hospitals in Korea(respectively 35.3%, 10.7%, 45.1%). Meanwhile, the cost ratio of the oriental medicine hospitals of University was 98.59%. It was 7.49% higher than the 91.1% of the average of all oriental medicine hospitals in 2011. Correlation analysis, growth rate of patient revenue and operating margin increased at the same time, and net profit to gross revenues and net profit to total assets with a growth rate of total assets increased. And administrative expenses and profitability indicators showed a negative correlation. It means, in order to improve the profitability of the oriental medicine hospitals of University should focus on reducing administrative expenses. Multiple regression analysis, growth rate of total assets, total assets turnover, administrative expenses, and salaries has affected the profitability. Therefore, in order to improve the profitability of the oriental medicine hospitals of University to increase the total capital and the total capital turnover, and to reduce administrative expenses effort.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.515-530
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• 2021

In a tall reinforced concrete (RC) core wall system subjected to strong ground motions, inelastic behavior near the base as well as mid-height of the wall is possible. Generally, the formation of plastic hinge in a core wall system may lead to extensive damage and significant repairing cost. A new configuration of core structures consisting of buckling restrained braced frames (BRBFs) and RC walls is an interesting idea in tall building seismic design. This concept can be used in the plan configuration of tall core wall systems. In this study, tall buildings with different configurations of combined core systems were designed and analyzed. Nonlinear time history analysis at severe earthquake level was performed and the results were compared for different configurations. The results demonstrate that using enough BRBFs can reduce the large curvature ductility demand at the base and mid-height of RC core wall systems and also can reduce the maximum inter-story drift ratio. For a better investigation of the structural behavior, the probabilistic approach can lead to in-depth insight. Therefore, incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) curves were calculated to assess the performance. Fragility curves at different limit states were then extracted and compared. Mean IDA curves demonstrate better behavior for a combined system, compared with conventional RC core wall systems. Collapse margin ratio for a RC core wall only system and RC core with enough BRBFs were almost 1.05 and 1.92 respectively. Therefore, it appears that using one RC core wall combined with enough BRBF core is an effective idea to achieve more confidence against tall building collapse and the results demonstrated the potential of the proposed system.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.148-169
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• 2008

As the Korean Government began to perceive healthcare as one of foundational industries for national dynamics, there has been mounting advocacy for the introduction of for-profit hospitals with a view to bringing efficiency in healthcare services industries and improvement of their international competitiveness. The Government is now considering the issue from all angles in favor of permitting for-profit hospitals. However, There have been few precedent studies on this subject to provide helpful data for the discussion and in the health policy making. This study used private hospitals - for-profit and nonprofit - in Florida, USA as study subjects to accumulate basic data that may be utilized for those involved in debates and health policy making relating to the introduction of for-profit hospitals in Korea. Among all the private general hospitals in Florida, those surveyed by AHA(American Hospital Association) for four consecutive years from 2001 and 2004 and others reported about to MCR(Medicare Cost Report) included in the collected data for analysis. In total 139 private general hospitals consisting of 73 for-profit hospitals and 66 nonprofit hospitals were included in the collected analysis data. Results of analysis revealed no significant difference between for-profit hospitals and nonprofit hospitals in the usage aspects of healthcare services including the average length of stay and the ratio of Medicare vs Medicaid patients. However, financial performances indicated by such factors. as the pre-tax return on assets and the pre-tax operating margin showed to be significantly higher in for-profit hospitals compared with nonprofit hospitals. And the ratio of personnel expenses and the turn period of total assets showed to be significantly lower in for-profit hospitals. Based on the hypothesis that arguments about the introduction of for-profit hospitals have considerably different viewpoints depending on the size of hospital represented by the number of bed, these two hospital types were compared again using the number of beds as a controlled factor, but the results were similar. We, therefore, could conclude that the for-profit hospitals in Florida included in this study could, in their for-profit operation, improve their financial performance by pursuing cost reduction and effectively utilizing their assets without limiting the amount and the range of their services or avoiding less medically protected groups such as Medicare and Medicaid patients.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.614-623
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the financial performance of regional public hospitals on their efficiency. In addition, the analysis of their efficiency using environmental factors, such as the market share, operating mode, and size of the regional public hospitals, as well as the factors influencing their efficiency, are selected by selecting the input and output factors of the hospitals and some differences were found between them. The DEA index and financial performance of the 31 regional public hospitals were calculated for the three years from 2012 to 2014. ANOVA and hierarchical regression analysis were used. As a result, there was a significant difference in their efficiency according to the environmental factors, such as the city scale of the regional public hospital, the number of hospital beds, and their business performance, productivity, and publicness. The medical profit margin (p<0.05), labor cost investment efficiency (p<0.05) and HHI (p<0.05) were found to affect the efficiency. In order to identify the inefficiencies of the regional public hospitals and increase their efficiency, it is necessary to measure the efficiency of the input resources and to reduce their cost. In addition, if the regional public hospitals were to provide specialized services, such as specialized functions of medical care that would give them a competitive advantage over private hospitals, their operational efficiency would be enhanced and they would be able to fulfill their role as public medical institutions.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.517-523
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• 2012

Double Stack Train(DST) is being used variously around USA and Canada. The greatest advantage of the DST is mass transportation without extending the length of freight train and number of cars. So the DST system can be a kind of innovative train to increase the competitiveness of rail logistic business. As the domestic rail logistic increase, for enhancement of environment friendly green transportation amount, the DST needs more for efficiency. In this study, as the alternative way to introduce the DST to the Kyungbu Line, it's investigated the extensibility of rail freight with the relation of rail fare discount and examined the necessity of pilot business to the Kyungjeon Line which was expected comparatively lower cost. If the DST system is introduced to the Kyungjeon Line, the cost of mass transportation can be much lower and then the comparativeness of rail transportation will be increased, therefore logistic companies can have some margin additionally. In the result of survey to the related companies, if rail transportation fare is 37.7 % cheaper than current road transportation fare, the modal shift can be transferred by maximum 100%.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.409-416
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• 2015

Purpose: This study evaluates a new banana bulk packaging method under the real transport conditions of Sri Lanka. Methods: A field evaluation of optimized 8-mm thick Styrofoam sheets used as the cushioning material was applied. A trial transport was conducted from Thambuttegama to Colombo using a medium-sized open truck, with banana leaves as the control material. Data were recorded at the farmer, transporter, retailer, and consumer stages of the supply chain. Mechanical damage, physiological loss in weight, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, ripeness index, visual quality ratings, and the physical damage index of the bananas were measured at each stage. A cost-benefit analysis was also conducted for both packaging methods. Results: The 8-mm styrofoam sheets significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the mechanical damage from 26.3% to 12.9% compared to the conventional method for long-distance transport, and the physiological loss in weight showed a decrease of 2.88%. The loss of firmness of the fruits followed a simmilar pattern for both methods until reaching the retailer, but at the consumer was significantly higher (p < 0.05) for the control. However, the physical damage index at the retail stage for the control showed symptoms of physical injury, whereas the bananas transported using the cushioning materials exhibited only minor symptoms. Further, the visual quality of the fruits after transport from the farmer to the consumer was preserved, which is one of the main factors affecting consumer preference and retail price. The proposed method increases the profit margin by 51.2% for Embul bananas owing to the reduced postharvest losses. Conclusion: The 8-mm thick Styrofoam sheets reduced the physical damage to the bananas, with the quality parameters maintained at the prefered level. Moreover, profits may be increased.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.123-130
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• 2017

Purpose - This research aims to examine the effect of e-business adoption on firm's growth and profitability in the distribution industry. The value added from the distribution industry acts as the cost of other industries. As the distribution industry develops, its stage becomes shorter and the distribution margin becomes smaller. Therefore, e-business is expected to have a different effect on the distribution industry than other industries. Research design, data and methodology - The previous research generally used e-business adoption as an independent variable and firm's performance as a dependent variable. This study elaborated the model using a dynamic panel model that includes the performance variable of the previous year as an independent variable. By employing system GMM (Generalized Method of Moments), the endogeneity problem in the dynamic panel model can be solved. For the analysis, I extracted the distribution companies as the raw data in the National Statistical Office's Business Activity Survey over the period 2006 to 2012. Results - The growth rate of firms adopting e-business was 0.299%p higher than that of the non-adopter. However, only ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), KMS (Knowledge Management System) and SCM (Supply Chain Management) contributed positively to the growth rate. In the case of profitability, it was 0.04%p higher than the distribution companies that did not adopt e-business. ERP and LMS (Learning Management System) improve profitability, while SCM reduces profitability. Consequently, while ERP improves both growth and profitability, SCM improves growth but reduces profitability. In addition, KMS improves firm's growth only, and LMS does only profitability, showing that each e-business has a differentiated effect. Conclusions - Since the distribution industry has different characteristics from manufacturing and other service industries, the introduction of e-business may not guarantee the growth and profitability of distribution companies. Careful introduction considering the characteristics of the distribution industry is required. In particular, it is necessary to select an e-business meeting the characteristics and needs of a distribution company, and thereafter, it is required for the company's own efforts to internalize it within the system.