• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.194-220
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• 1992

In recent years there has been a rapid influx of high cost MRI equipment into Korea. This diffusion has raised concerns about the changes it will bring for the health care utilization. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify socio-economic characteristics of MRI uses in Korea. A structured questionnaire was designed for this purpose, and 1, 091 users were surveyed at the 35 MRI units of 33 hospitals during a week, sometimes March 1992. The study reveals that high cost technology such as MRI, CT scanner is so prevalent in Korea. This is particularly the case in metropolitan areas. Among others, Seoul has the highest percentage of MRI equipment, 51.05%, Pusan 12.10% and Kwangju 11.9%. Unfortunately, most high cost technology equipments are foreign products. Thus, hospitals with such a high cost technology have difficulties in maintenance of the equipment. The average performance of MRI equipment has declined from 10.2 cases per day in 1988 to 7.16 cases in March 1992. Due to the rapid increase, the performance of MRI equipment seems to be deterioration. Male usere are dominant in the case of MRI use. The utilization rate has positively increased with the rise of educational level of users. The same is true for the level of income; the MRI utilization rate by income level shows that it is negatively proportional to income, which indicates that the poor have difficulties in the use of high cost technology. Particularly, the cost of MRI is so high that ordinary patients are unable to pay for it. For example, 86.3% of respondents have answered that the cost is too high even though they are insured by health insurance. This is the first empirical study on the use status of MRI. The information obtained in this study is sufficient to maintain that the Korean health insurance programme is urgently in need of improving the insurance benefit schemes. The easiest way to do this is to include provision of high cost technology service into the benefit package.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.297-304
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• 2001

Procurement decisions for inspection equipment are often made heavily based on the initial purchase price instead of the effects of inspection cost, equipment calibration and utilization over the lifetime. Cost of ownership(COO) models that take into account all of these cost factors together have been developed focusing on a single quality characteristic. In modern manufacturing environment, inspection equipment often can deal with more than one quality characteristic simultaneously. In this paper, we propose the revised COO model for the economic evaluation of the inspection equipment that can accommodate multiple quality characteristics. We also employ an engineering economy model to compare equipments with different life span. Software is developed for handy comparison of the COO of alternative equipments along with sensitivity analysis far the optimal procurement decision.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.70-77
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• 2008

The purpose of this study evaluates a feasibility and economical efficiency of new renewable energy. According as weather change is serious problem now days, every people make attention to the reduction of greenhouse gas. The revitalization of new renewable energy creates the variety of energy source, stability of energy supply and reduction of greenhouse gas. In this study evaluates a feasibility and economical efficiency from new renewable energy of various photo voltaics, wind power, small hydro and biogas. Feasibility does in standard of technical characteristic, politic support, marketability, establishment present condition and development aim. Economical efficiency does in standard of developmental unit cost, utilization factor, equipment life, politic support cost, interest ratio. The results of this study were as follows photo voltaics, wind, small hydropower, biogas in order feasibility is high. Developmental unit cost, utilization factor, equipment life, politic support cost and analyzed the relationship of interest ratio fluctuation and economical efficiency. From all new renewable energy the utilization factor most is important in economical efficiency but necessary utilization factor is difficult because environmental problem.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.22-39
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between estimated profit and utilization of medical equipment upon purchasing and actual results at one teaching hospital in Seoul, Korea Medical equipments over $100,000 from 1992 to 1997 were selected and results were as follows: 1. Twenty equipments out of thirty exceeded estimated profits and the difference was 3.98 billion won and ten equipments did not reach the estimated profits and 5.5 billion won was the difference. Diagnostic equipment exceeded the estimated profit which surgical equipment didn't. 2. Eleven equipments exceeded estimated utilization, which showed 100%. In the mean time, eighteen equipments didn't reach the estimated utilization, which was 71%. Diagnostic equipment showed the less estimated utilization than surgical equipment 3. Twenty-one equipments showed the 6.83 billion won profits and nine equipments showed the 1.6 billion won deficits. Diagnostic equipment was more profitable than surgical equipment. Finally. diagnostic equipment helped improving hospital management than surgical equipment. 4. Main factors which showed the big difference from the initial plan were lacking reasonable estimated method, no evaluation system for purchase, emphasis in medical treatment, excessive expenditure in maintenance, duplicated investment for medical equipment and leadership commitment. As a result. Substantial planning is required from the requesting department in consideration of estimated profit and utilization and systematic quality control is needed to confirm. Also, One-sided decision making should be avoided to purchase a high cost medical equipment and efforts should be made in examining carefully and developing a reasonable analytic method.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.321-330
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• 2023

The Korean military has sought to build an all-round military force against the national and international security environment and future asymmetric threats as well as the military threats it faces. However, while raising the need for timely electrification, there are few cases of quantitatively evaluating the loss when electrification is delayed, making it difficult for our military to provide a logical basis to support the importance of the electrification period. Therefore, through this study, we tried to analyze the index of loss cost that can support the need for timely electrification with logical and quantitative data and present it as a logical basis. To this end, the loss cost was calculated in terms of combat efficiency, equipment utilization rate, and maintenance requirements, which can be quantitatively calculated based on "combat readiness," a general impact on the military in case of delayed timely electrification.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.134-145
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• 2013

Road construction projects are parcelled into sub-sections which are then tendered to individual contractors for construction. The type of work and equipments used are similar for each sub-section. However, such equipment are not shared on a regular basis among the contractors and only partially performed in an informal and ad hoc manner. Consequently, road construction equipment suffer from low utilization and increased leasing costs. Lean construction and Program Management approaches stress the importance of collaboration among individual participants in a way that increases the collective cost savings of the entire project. This research attempts to apply such theories with the notion that under utilization of expensive equipment can be improved by formalizing a way to enable the sharing of equipment in large, public sponsored, multi-sectioned road construction projects. A system was developed consisting of a set of criteria and processes that enables automatic allocation of equipment to multiple sites on daily basis, in a way that minimizes equipment costs and improves their individual utility. The system was then applied in allocating three different types of equipment to an actual road construction project with four sub-sections for three months. A new metric, nDPR showed that utilization improved for all equipment and also equipment related costs were decreased by 4.45%. Results also showed that increased shared opportunities of equipment correspond to an increase in utilization and cost savings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.11-24
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• 2009

In China, the oil and natural gas resources of Bohai Bay are mainly marginal oil fields. It is necessary to build both ice-resistant and economical offshore platforms. However, risk is involved in the design, construction, utilization, maintenance of offshore platforms as uncertain events may occur within the life-cycle of a platform under the extreme ice load. In this study, the optimum design model of the expected life-cycle cost for ice-resistant platforms based on cost-effectiveness criterion is proposed. Multiple performance demands of the structure, facilities and crew members, associated with the failure assessment criteria and evaluation functions of costs of construction, consequences of structural failure modes including damage, revenue loss, death and injury as well as discounting cost over time are considered. An efficient approximate method of the global reliability analysis for the offshore platforms is provided, which converts the implicit nonlinear performance function in the conventional reliability analysis to linear explicit one. The proposed life-cycle optimum design formula are applied to a typical ice-resistant platform in Bohai Bay, and the results demonstrate that the life-cycle cost-effective optimum design model is more rational compared to the conventional design.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.253-263
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• 2008

This study examined the menu management and utilization of cooking equipment at school foodservice operations in the Chonbuk area. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from a total of 193 school dietitians. Statistical data analysis was completed using the SPSS v. 11.5 program. The results are summarized as follows. Among the 193 schools, 58.5% were elementary schools and 41.5% were middle and high schools. Approximately 97% of the schools prepared meals in the conventional manner. Among the school, 68.4% had a menu cycle of 1${\sim}$2 weeks. The frequency of using convenience foods was significantly different between the elementary schools and middle and high schools(p<0.001). Approximately 45% of the dietitians responded that the most important details for menu planning were menu variety and consumer preference. However, 66.8% of the dietitians responded that a key problem for menu planning was limited and worn-out kitchen equipment. Although the cost of purchasing cooking equipment is high, most dietitians responded they have high needs for equipment in order to meet of the quantity demands of food production. In terms of utilized cooking equipment, most schools had mixers, vegetable cutters, choppers, dish washers, etc. Yet the amenities most often lacking were meat slicers, composting machines, ovens, and griddles. In utilizing the cooking equipment, there was no significant difference between the dietitians in the elementary(3.67) schools and those in the middle and high school foodservice systems(3.70); however, the utilization level was poor. Therefore, governmental regulatory agencies should review and finance support for purchasing cooking equipment. Finally, purchasing analysis was conducted regarding the dietitians' opinions on menu recipes and useful equipment.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• summer
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• pp.354-356
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• 2004

This paper is the transient analysis for choosing the optimal SCR ratings of AC3 utilization category testing equipment(AC3 TE) used for electrical durability test for magnetic switch according to IEC60947-4 Annex B by utilizing EMTP -ATPDraw. Magnetic contactor closes and opens the motor load with ON/OFF switch of electronic contactor. It is also used for protecting and controlling the load. Magnetic contactor detects the over-current flow in the load with a over-current relay and disconnects the load by opening its control power. The key cost of AC3 TE is the SCR ratings. The more decreases SCR ratings, the more decreased the cost is, but it is impossible to ensure the reliability. On the other hand, the more increases SCR ratings, the more increased the cost is. Thereupon, in this paper after the testing circuit is simulated by using EMTP-ATPDraw the SCR ratings will be applied in order to guarantee the testing reliability of PT&T(Power Testing and Technology institute in LG Industrial Systems Co.,Ltd.).

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 1994

In order to estimate the utilization pattern of a rural health subcenter, and to identify the recognition for it among the inhabitants in Kogsung district, a questionnaire survey was carried out for objects of 708 population. The results observed were as follows; 1. The annual utilization rate of a rural health subcenter for a basic health service unit was 27.5 per 100 persons, and annual mean visiting times was 1.43 times. 2. The most frequent disease by, annual health subcenter utilization illness was respiratory disease(26.5%), and the next was musculoskeletal disease(23.9%), gastrointestinal disease(15.9%) by order. 3. Favorite reasons for community health subcenter utilization were lower medical cost(23.4%), near distance from living place(20.7%) and lower disease severity(19.5%) by order. But disfavorite reasons for it were non effective treatment(26.2%), insufficient equipment(25.4%) and absence of specialist(17.4%) by order. 4. Insufficient items about community health subcenter utilization were restriction of treatment limit(47.1%), lower reliance(22.4%) and not punctral(21.8%) by order. 5. The results of logistic regression analysis suggested that statistically significant factors in health subcenter utilization were age, educational level and the nearest medical facility class. 6. There was no difference between recognition for a community health subcenter's work and actual utilizing service, and desirable works for it were disease preventing service, disease control of elderly and sanitation control by order. These results suggested that to increase the utilization of rural health subcenter and to promote the accessibility of rural residents to primary health care, there must be considered public relation about health subcenter, expansion of health equipment and recognition about access time.