• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.659-666
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• 2023

Characterized by boom-and-bust cycles, low entry barriers, and an almost perfectly competitive structure, the construction industry presents a unique challenge for the survival and growth of its constituent companies. A crucial aspect of this challenge is the ongoing monitoring of their financial health and business performance. To understand the typical financial and operational status of construction companies, this study analyzes the financial statements of 6,252 such companies, all of which have undergone at least one external audit between 2000 and 2019. These statements were used to develop combined financial profiles and derive industry averages. The findings indicate that the construction industry experiences limited growth in sales and profitability. High leverage ratios can jeopardize financial stability, pushing companies to seek production efficiency, such as enhancing gross asset turnover. This tendency has been particularly noticeable in the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008.

• Korean Security Journal
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• no.13
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• pp.113-144
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• 2007

The entire world has lived in terror threatened by new-terrorism since the 9.11 terror. Having appeared since 9.11, new-terrorism is new kind of terror targeting victims at random. Bioterrorism is one good example. Since bioterrorism happens secretly, it's hard to identify. The case becomes even harder to detect if it takes the form of a new epidemic. This study set out to apply the four phases of crisis management regarding outbreak and measures of SARS, the latest new epidemic, and to prepare against bioterrorism taking the form of a new epidemic, It also shows the efforts to study what to prepare and what kind of actions to take in case of bioterrorism by applying the four phases. There results demonstrate that the preventive measures against bioterrorism include arranging terror-related laws and identifying and monitoring expected pathogenic organs. In the preparation phases, they should integrate the related agencies, prepare for the standard operating procedures(SOP), execute integrated training sessions among the related agencies, and secure the necessary resources such as vaccine, cures, and exploration devices. In the response phases, they need to set up a rapid diagnosis system, quarantine and then cure the patients, and pursue cooperation from the media and promotions and further an international cooperation system to take appropriate measures. And the final recovery phases should involve offering emergency support by checking the situations and engaging in activities to prevent another terror attack by providing counseling, exchanging information, and analyzing and evaluating the causes.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.13-36
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• 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this field case report is 1) to analyze the community's strategy and performance in responding to infectious diseases through the case of COVID-19 infectious disease crisis response of Daegu Metropolitan City, and 2) to interpret this case using governance theory and infectious disease response governance framework. and 3) to propose a strategic model to prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks of the community. Methods: Cases of Daegu Metropolitan City's infectious disease crisis response were analyzed through researchers' participatory observations. And review of OVID-19 White Paper of Daegu Metropolitan City, Daegu Medical Association's COVID-19 White Paper, and literature review of domestic and international governance, and administrative documents. Results: Through the researcher's participatory observation and literature review, 1) establishment of leadership and response system to respond to the infectious disease crisis in Daegu Metropolitan City, 2) citizen's participation and communication strategy through the pan-citizen response committee, 3) cooperation between Daegu Metropolitan City and governance of public-private medical facilities, 4) decision-making and crisis response through participation and communication between the Daegu Metropolitan City Medical Association, Medi-City Daegu Council, and medical experts of private sector, 5) symptom monitoring and patient triage strategies and treatment response for confirmed infectious disease patients by member of Daegu Medical Association, 6) strategies and implications for establishing and utilizing a local infectious disease crisis response information system were derived. Conclusions: The results of the study empirically demonstrate that collaborative governance of the community through the participation of citizens, private sector experts, and community medical facilities is a key element for effective response to infectious disease crises.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2009

Over the a few decades, the incidences of obesity and associated metabolic syndrome diseases have been increased dramatically and resulted in a global health crisis. Recent findings suggest endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as an obesogen, because they disrupt normal development and homeostatic controls over adipogenesis and energy balance in obesity. Furthermore, risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality is elevated among those who were obese during childhood. Thus, we focused on etiology of obesity in children and performed biological monitoring of bisphenol A (BPA), which is a broadly exposed EDC in environment. Study subjects were age and sex-matched obese and normal children in Seoul (N=52; age, $8.67{\pm}1.46$ years). Exposure levels of BPA were analyzed with HPLC/FLD as a conjugated form in urine. As results, ranges of urinary BPA were 0~54.38 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine (median, 4.57 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine). Levels of urinary BPA were 1.7 fold higher in the obese children than those in the controls (medians of obese and control children, 7.31 and 4.25 ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine, respectively, p=0.22). In the near future, enlarge scaled studies should be performed to confirm the risk of BPA for obesity.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.439-446
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• 2016

This research examines the effect of outside director system which has been legislated after financial crisis in Korea. Outside director system is based on agency theory which assumes that a manager is selfish and opportunistic in situation where ownership and management of a firm is separated. In this situation, outside director system has an important function to monitor and keep in check a manager. Thus, we examined that outside director system works as a monitoring mechanism in Korea. And we tested that above effect is weakened in family CEO firms where it is different from assumption of agency theory in Korea. According to empirical result with 282 sample firm, it is confirmed that outside director system reduces agency cost. In family CEO firms, however, this agency cost-reducing effect becomes weak. This result suggests that outside director system needs be cautiously managed without focusing on only monitoring function.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.212-219
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• 1989

We utilized pulmonary artery pressure monitoring system in risky patients for preventing the postoperative pulmonary hypertensive crisis and for sampling the mixed venous blood. And this mixed venous blood oxygen saturation [MVSO2] or partial pressure [MVPO2]tells us many meaningful patients state. We selected 59 cyanotic congenital heart diseased patients, who were operated in our hospital from Nov. 1987 to Oct. 1988, in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University Children\ulcorner Hospital, who had pulmonary artery pressure monitoring catheter and who made us know their mixed venous oxygen condition. We found that there was no close relationship between MVPO2 and Cardiac Index [C.I.] during early postoperative period, but on the first and second day after operation the correlation coefficient was increased as r=0.35[p=0.008], r=0.78[p=0.0001]. So we concluded that the correlation between MVPO2 and C.I. was more reliable with time going as hemodynamic stabilization. And we experienced no survivors whose MVPO2 was under 20 torr, but that was not the only factor for death. From these results, we conclude that we can consider the MVPO2 [or MVSO2] representing C.I. after stabilized postoperative condition of the open heart surgery patients, but during early postoperative period, in addition to this MVPO2, we should do also apply other parameter such as urine output, arterial blood pressure, left atrial pressure and pulmonary arterial pressure for exact estimation of the patients status.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.49-66
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• 2018

Volcano hazard mapping became a focus of scientific inquiry in the 1960s. Dwight Crandell and Don Mullineaux pioneered the geologic history approach with the concept of the past is the key to the future, to hazard mapping. The 1978 publication of the Mount St. Helens hazards assessment and forecast of an eruption in the near future, followed by the large eruption in 1980 demonstrated the utility of volcano hazards assessments and triggered huge growth in this area of volcano science. Numerical models of hazardous processes began to be developed and used for identifying hazardous areas in 1980s and have proliferated since the late 1990s. Model outputs are most useful and accurate when they are constrained by geological knowledge of the volcano. Volcanic Hazard maps can be broadly categorized into those that portray long-term unconditional volcanic hazards-maps showing all areas with some degree of hazard and those that are developed during an unrest or eruption crisis and take into account current monitoring, observation, and forecast information.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.46-60
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• 2004

Background : Recently, we have experienced various changes in the healthcare environment. Healthcare organizations are facing a financial crisis due to more competitive relationships among themselves as well with low health insurance fees. The purposes of the current study were: (1) to develop a data warehouse-based system for evaluating and monitoring the case management activities, and (2) to measure and analyze its effects. Methods : In order to collect the data for the study, the database on discharged patients was utilized at a university hospital located in Seoul from June 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002. Initially, a data warehouse was built for the case management system. The case management activities were analyzed using structured methodology to establish the case management system. Results : The findings of this study were as follows: (1) A case management system was developed to make it possible to monitor of healthcare quality and resource utilization. The Case management System included monitoring functions regarding utilization reviews, critical pathways, and clinical indicators. (2) Utilizing the case management system, unplanned readmissions were documented among total discharged patients during two months from November 1, 2002 through December 31, 2002. The unplanned readmission rate was 2.3%(276 patients) in total of 11,960 discharged patients. Among them 81 patients(0.7% of total discharges, 29.3% of unplanned readmission) were readmitted to the same physician in charge under the same diagnosis. No significant differences were found in the demographic variables such as gender and age among the patients. (3) After implementing the case management system, 2.9% of average length of stay reduced. Applying cost-benefit analysis, the 2.9% reduction of length of stay represents net profit of ${\backslash}$ 279,592,000 in the year of 2004. In addition, applying value acceleration analysis, cumulative net benefit of ${\backslash}$ 1,481,000,000 was expected by the year of 2007. Also we were able to expect ${\backslash}$ 247,800,000 of cumulative benefit for the prospective 5 years in value linkage analysis. It represents average ${\backslash}$ 787,700,000 of pure net benefit a year. Conclusion : The value of present study would be not only implementing the knowledge management system into the existing case management activities, but also evaluating its effects and estimating its financial benefits. This study suggested that the case management system would be a supportive tool for monitoring and improving the quality of healthcare, and a cost-effective tool for increment of healthcare organization's financial benefit.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2014

Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination has gained wide and increasing acceptance around the world as a straightforward undertaking to alleviate the alarming water crisis. An enhanced monitoring of the quality of the water feeding in seawater RO (SWRO) plant through the application of an effective pretreatment option is one of the keys to the success of RO technology in desalination plants. Over the past 10 years, advances in ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technologies in application for water and wastewater treatment have prompted an impetus for using membrane pretreatment in seawater desalination plants. By integrating SWRO plant with UF pretreatment, the rate of membrane fouling can be significantly reduced and thus extend the life of RO membrane. With the growing importance and significant advances attained in UF pretreatment, this review presents an overview of UF pretreatment in SWRO plants. The advantages offered by UF as an alternative of pretreatment option are compared to the existing conventionally used technologies. The current progress made in the integration of SWRO with UF pretreatment is also highlighted. Finally, the recent advances pursued in UF technology is reviewed in order to provide an insight and hence path the way for the future development of this technology.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.442-446
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• 2015

As electricity consumption is increasing rapidly these days, an urgent. need exists to minimize consumption through smart and intelligent ways in order to prevent a future energy crisis. For this purpose, development of an intelligent peak power management system should be required. As the number of appliances and consumer electrical devices increase, power consumption in unit business tends to grow. Generally, electricity consumption can be minimized using a peak power management system capable of. effectively controlling the load power by continuously monitoring the power. In this work, a peak power management system which consists of arduino microprocessor equipped with ethernet and Zigbee shield is presented. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, laboratory-scale experiments are carried out.