• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2023

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of combined conventional exercise therapy plus respiratory exercise program with combined conventional exercise therapy plus aqua exercise program in the pulmonary function of subacute stroke patients. METHODS: The respiratory exercise program group underwent inspiration and expiration training using the Threshold IMT and Threshold PEP three days per week for four weeks. The aquatic exercise program group had aquatic aerobics, halliwick, and bad ragaz ring training three days per week for four weeks. Before and after the experiment, Pony fx was used to examine the FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, VC, and MVV. RESULTS: Significant improvement was found after the experiment in the FVC. FEV1, VC, MVV, excepting FEV1/FVC, of the pulmonary function in the aquatic exercise program group. After the experiment, significant improvement was found in FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, VC, and MVV of pulmonary function in the respiratory rehabilitation therapy group. No significant difference in FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, VC, and MVV of pulmonary function was observed in the inter-group comparison. CONCLUSION: Significant improvement was found after the experiment in both the aquatic exercise program group and the respiratory exercise program group. No difference in pulmonary function was noted in the inter-group comparison. Therefore, combining general exercise therapy and an aquatic or respiratory exercise program is expected to be effective for the pulmonary function of acute stroke patients. These results are expected to provide basic data to help research intervention of aquatic and respiratory exercise programs for subacute stroke patients.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 2023

Bridge hangers, such as those in suspension and cable-stayed bridges, suffer from cumulative fatigue damage caused by dynamic loads (e.g., cyclic traffic and wind loads) in their service condition. Thus, the identification of damage to hangers is important in preserving the service life of the bridge structure. This study develops a new method for condition assessment of bridge hangers. The tension force of the bridge and the damages in the element level can be identified using the Bayesian optimization method. To improve the number of observed data, the additional mass method is combined the Bayesian optimization method. Numerical studies are presented to verify the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. The influence of different acquisition functions, which include expected improvement (EI), probability-of-improvement (PI), lower confidence bound (LCB), and expected improvement per second (EIPC), on the identification of damage to the bridge hanger is studied. Results show that the errors identified by the EI acquisition function are smaller than those identified by the other acquisition functions. The identification of the damage to the bridge hanger with various types of boundary conditions and different levels of measurement noise are also studied. Results show that both the severity of the damage and the tension force can be identified via the proposed method, thereby verifying the robustness of the proposed method. Compared to the genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and nonlinear least-square method (NLS), the Bayesian optimization (BO) performs best in identifying the structural damage and tension force.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.83-92
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• 2011

Because of the development of digital technologies and information-oriented products, the importance of user interface design and usability are increasing in recent year. So we need a systematic and rational way to measure and manage how effective the improvement of user interface is. The purpose of this study is to develop measurable ‘Usability Improvement Index' which signify how much usability has improved in user interface design. First, I made the framework of measuring and evaluating usability through analysis of existing usability metrics and previous studies. Then, I suggested the process of calculating 'Usability Improvement Index' based on categorizing characteristics of measurable usability and definition of usability metrics. The process is as in the following : measuring the present level of usability, analysis of problems, making alternative user interface design, measuring the improved level of usability, calculating Usability Improvement Index. For verification, the case study on application of Usability Improvement Index to usability improvement of application software of digital camcorder presented. This study is expected to assist 'goal oriented user interface design' and to manage usability systematically.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.16-27
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• 2009

Recently construction companies expand position for apartment house in construction market because of house supply rate increase and its amount. In addition, because the focus of house sale market has moved to customer from supplier, the importance of defect management is being issued currently. However, current apartment defect management is not satisfied with customer's demand for the lack of business process management, management organization, information feedback, and readiness for defect in construction phase. To solve this problem, this study proposed business process management improvement model for defect management. Proposed improvement model make information feedback, defect management business quality improvement, and improper process improvement through integrating defect management and quality management. It is expected to contribute to customer's satisfaction improvement and reliance improvement for construction companies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.34-44
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to suggest ways to improve the transparency of occupational safety and health management cost (OSHMC) in order to create a safe working environment that can guarantee the health of construction workers. It was performed in the following procedures and methods. (1) collecting and analyzing resources related to the OSHMC in construction, (2) gathering stakeholder opinions for interviewing actual conditions, (3) deriving the improvement plans based on survey results and (4) suggesting direction for improvement of related laws based on the results of the research. As a result of this study, the following ways were found to be effective for enhancing transparency of the OSHMC in construction. (1) disclosure of usage details in sites, (2) Expansion of the standard for the OSHMC in construction, (3) Increase in fines for false use, (4) Establishment of the plan to improve the OSHMC ratio of small-scale construction sites, (5) Strengthen the role of supervisory and support organizations such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency. The result of this study is expected to be used as a basic data for future improvement of the occupational safety and health acts in Korea.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.71-78
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• 2008

Necessity of paradigm change has been awared in urban redevelopment especially, in housing regeneration from uniform scratch without serious consideration about resident's lives to holistic approach based on local culture and residents' participation. The purpose of this research was to identify community places recognized and attached by residents of a housing improvement district which was scheduled to be changed for improvement of the area, in near future. This research itself was considered as an resident participation technique. Group interview at a field site was carried as the main research methodology. As results, valuable places cherished by residents were identified. Most of them could be explained in relation to religious leadership, traditional cultural heritage and democratic movement. In regeneration process those places which have a strong tie with residents needs to be deliberately considered as a target to be preserved rather than demolished. The places also play a role in diffusing a livable village making movement. The result is expected to be used to make a cognitive and emotional community map of residents which is meaningfully differentiated from just a physical and geographical map. The places, place recognition activities and diffusion movement for common appreciation can be a basic foundation for residents participation in improving their housing neighborhood environment, and in creating value added strategies for the area.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.50-56
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• 2017

The number of accidents in school zone is decreasing than before with the introduction of strengthening traffic safety policy since January 2011, but the danger still exists. The School zone sign is widely known to have much effect in protecting children from risks of traffic accidents, but design improvement is being demanded to improve a sense of safety and legibility of safety signs in School zone due to the lack of understanding on the safety signs in crosswalk and School zone. This study analyzed differences in shape and color of existing safety signs through a case analysis of traffic developed countries as America, England, Japan, and Germany and suggested improvement plans for drivers to clearly perceive the school zone. For improvement methods, this study suggested the importance of delivering definite and unified warning message for school zone to drivers by using indication sign and caution sign together, and to use yellow, a safety color, and to unify the safety sign into triangle shape that symbolizes warning and caution to conform the international standards. Actual design production and experiment through improvement plans are needed in the future, and it is expected to secure safety of children and to provide international standardization of safety signs in school zone.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.127-143
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• 2016

This study applied DEA analysis to measure the relative efficiency of 35 companies that produce automobile body components. First, the input and output, the improvement target value of the calculated variables, and the reference group for benchmarking for inefficient groups to become efficient groups were established through DEA analysis. In addition, whether inefficiency was due to technical inefficiency or size was analyzed in connection with the cases of the actual companies through the measurement of scale efficiency. Second, a route for efficiency improvement was derived through DEA-Tier analysis by defining the possible group for benchmarking in actuality within the production industry of automobile body components where the primary cooperative company belonged. Third, the financial variables that generate the difference between efficient and inefficient groups were derived through logistic regression analysis. Financial strategies that determine the direction the indices should be improved to allow the inefficient group to become an efficient one were recommended. This research is expected to provide diagnostic methods for management efficiency and the direction of improvement to enhance the management efficiency of automotive parts makers by identifying the causes of the inefficiency of domestic automotive parts makers empirically. The study also provides financial strategies together with the target values of efficiency improvement for each individual company.

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.24-34
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• 2015

The complexity arises in defining the construction quality due to its perception, based on inherent market conditions and their requirements, the diversified stakeholders itself and their desired output. A quantitative survey based approach was adopted in this constructive study. A questionnaire based survey was conducted, for the assessment of construction quality perception and expectations in the context of quality improvement technique. The survey feedback of professionals, from the leading construction organizations/companies of Pakistan were analyzed. The financial capacity, organizational structure, and construction experience of the construction firms formed basis for their selection. After statistical analysis of survey feedback it was found reliable and valid for the inferential purpose to the target population of construction professionals. The quality perception was found to be project scope oriented, considered as an excess cost for a construction project and keeping the rework minimum by qualifying the required quality tests, keeping the defects minimum by ensuring the specifications of supplied material. Any quality improvement technique was expected to address the financial aspects of the construction project for the employer and contractor, by increasing the profitability through reduction in overall cost, reduction in time, reduction in defects and improving the productivity in a construction project. The study is beneficial for the construction professionals to assess the prevailing construction quality perception and the expectations from implementation of any quality improvement technique in construction projects.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.21-31
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• 2013

There is a high demand for the diagnostic medical blood analyzer in the global medical device market. The domestic market is in infant stage, but expected to grow very fast. In this study, we attempt to provide several ways for production improvement in order to secure price competitiveness of domestic medical blood analyzer. For this purpose we identify the problems of current production process using ARENA simulation and suggest several alternatives for productivity improvement.. Five steps of TOC (Theory of Constraints) and ARENA simulation are employed to predict productivity of each alternative and to suggest further improvement.