• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.147-181
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• 2007

Our article investigates the risk implication of ownership structure in life insurance companies. We set up a model to identify the priority structure of policyholder's and shareholder's cashflow claims, and to derive its implications. Current literature on this issue has focused on the agency paradigm or the risk-sharing efficiency. Fama and Jensen(1983a, 1983b) and Mayers and Smith(1981, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994) argue that the survival of both the corporate and the mutual form of organization is due in part to the relative efficiencies in controlling agency problems. With regard to insurance business, agency problems arise because of the three functions inherent in the organizations:manager, risk-bearer(owner), and policyholder. Stock insurers are characterized by the potentially complete separation of all three functions while mutual insurers merger the policyholder with the ownership function. Doherty and Dionne(1993) and Doherty(1991) concentrate their analysis on differences in the efficiency of risk sharing between participating and non-participating policies. They argue that when the undiversifiable risk has higher portion in business risk, combining policy and equity claims into a single package is a more efficient risk-sharing contract than a simple prepaid risk-transfer. Among various methods for assembling the policy/equity package, Doherty and Dionne(1993) and Doherty(1991) suggest that policy/equity package offered by the mutual is the most efficient risk-sharing arrangement. There has been a controversy on the property of participating policies sold by life insurance corporations in Korea. Some scholars argue that participating policyholders of Korean life insurance companies have shared the cashflow risk with shareholders. They emphasize that insurance firms have used dividend reserves to supplement for equity deficits. Thus, they argue that the economic entities of Korean life insurance companies are mutual companies though their legal entities are corporations. Our article explicitly sets up each stakeholder's cashflow claim in stock and mutual insurers, and thus identify risk differences in shareholder and policyholder. Using our model, we could derive direct implications on the controversy. Our model shows that life insurance companies would sell participating policies since policyholders would have the incentive to share the risk inherent in their primary claims with equityholders. And there exists a fundamental difference in shareholder's risk and equityholder's.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.245-257
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• 2001

This study analyzed the services as operated by the Child Health Telephone Service Center. The Center is a toll free service operated as part of the community services of the Korean Academic Society of Child Health Nursing. The aim of the study was to describe the concerns of child caregivers regarding child health care as discussed during telephone counseling. Specific objectives were as follows: 1. To analyze the activities of the Center. 2. To describe the characteristics of caregivers who made phone calls for counseling services and also the characteristics of their children. 3. To analyze the content of the counseling sessions. 4. To analyze counseling content according to the characteristics of the caregivers and their children. Data used for the study were obtained from the counseling records for the period from Sept. to Dec. 1999, as kept by the three counselors at the Center. The total number of calls was 8,261 and that consisted of 15,150 questions. The total questions were merged into 13,236 by eliminating those questions which overlapped or were of similar content. The final 13,236 questions were used for the final analyses. Almost of the callers (98.4％) were mothers. Among them 89.6％ were between 25 and 35 years of age. Geographical distribution of the callers covered the whole nation. The largest numbers who made the calls were from the Seoul metropolitan area (36％), followed by 28％ from Kyung Gi Province, and 20％ were from the Kyung Sang area. Among 8,261 callers, 72.8％ were first users. Sex of the babies and children in question for counseling was about even for males and females and ages ranged from one month to six years. The largest group (62.5％) was the less than six month age group. The finalized 13,236 questions/problems were categorized into 11 problem areas. They were in order of frequency, physical problems, feedings and nutrient concerns, information on child rearing, growth and development, guidance on utilization of child care facilities, elimination problems, sleeping concerns, immunization related concerns, behavior problems, injury and accidents, and safety measures. The most frequent problems for counseling were physical signs and symptoms (27.3％), followed by feeding and nutrients, information on child rearing, and growth and development. Of physical problems, abnormal gastrointestinal signs and symptoms were the most frequent concern and skin problems were next at 25％ and 23.3％ respectively. Loose bowels, vomiting and constipation were the most frequent gastrointestinal problems. Atopic dermatitis had the highest frequency at 53.3％ with diaper rash being the second highest among the skin problems. About 80％ of the growth and developmental category were physical development concerns related to physiological, body growth, and motor and sensory development. This study constitutes the activity report for the first year of the Center. The findings correspond with literature reports on child health problems and parents educational needs. One recommendation from this study is that since the services of the Center are carried out only by telephone, the psychology of the counselees and the counselor relationship must be considered for better services.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.109-113
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• 2006

Purpose: Various minimally invasive surgical techniques, such as an endoscopic mucosal resection and a laparoscopic gastrectomy, are becoming common practice for some cases of early gastric cancer (EGC) defined in terms of the depth of invasion being limited to the mucosa or submucosa. However, there are rare cases of early gastric cancer with massive lymph-node metastasis. Materials and Methods: From 6 university hospitals of Korea, 2,772 EGC cases were resected during the various period of analysis (1,432 cases of mucosal cancer and 1,340 of submucosal cancer). Results: As control data, we used the data from a single institute, CHA University Hospital. There were nine cases of early gastric cancer (9/2,772, 0.32%) with N3 lymph node metastasis defined by more than 15 lymph nodes being metastasized according to the UICC-TNM classification (pT1N3, stage IV). Two cases were mucosal cancer (2/1,432, 0.1 4%), and seven cases were submucosal cancer (7/1,340, 0.52%). Metastasized lymph nodes varied in number from 18 to 52. There were three male and six female patients with a mean age of 57. This is a totally reversed sex ratio compared to the usual gastric cancer or EGC. Among the total of 9 EGC patients, there were 5 who had superficial spreading carcinomas with surface areas larger than $25\;cm^2$. This is a significantly higher proportion compared to the general EGC population. When we compared the tumor size according to the LN status, the N3 group was definitely larger than the other groups. 78% of the pT1N3 cases showed lymphatic invasion, which is very high compared to the 4.7% in general EGC cases. Among the 9 cases, 6 patients had too short a follow-up period to evaluate the correct prognosis, but there was one patient with a non-curative resection and two patients with early recurrence. Although the sample size is small and the follow-up period is short, we can expect a very poor prognosis when we consider the common prognosis of EGC that is widely known and accepted. Conclusion: From these results, we can a conclude that the risk factors for pT1N3 gastric cancer are female patients, submucosal invasion, larger tumor size, and lymphatic invasion. However rare, the existence of pT1N3 gastric cancer needs to be taken into consideration, especially during the diagnosis. Furthermore, minimally invasive treatment for EGC needs to be chosen with great precaution. Since the prognosis of pT1N3 gastric cancer is expected to be poor, aggressive adjuvant chemotherapy may be necessary. (J Korean Gastric Cancer Assoc 2006;6:109-113)

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.209-224
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• 2020

This study started from the question of whether the preference of corporate recruitment can be achieved without any difference between the start-up experiencer and the general job seekers. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to identify the factors related to start-ups that affect the preference of job seekers for companies, and to analyze the differences in the factors related to start-ups between general job seekers and job seekers with start-up experience. Third, it is to see the difference in the preference for employment between job seekers with start-up experiences and general job seekers. The independent variables of the research model were entrepreneurship, motivation for start-up (job search), and characteristics of the job seekers (founder). The dependent variables were job preference, and the moderating variables were presented as job seekers' classification (job seekers with start-up experience vs. general job seekers). The subjects of the study were personnel managers of 100 companies with more than 5 years of establishment and 100 new companies with less than 5 years of establishment. The questionnaire was distributed in two types, and 189 respondents, including 101 job seekers with start-up experiences and 88 general job seekers, were finally used for analysis. The results of the study were as follows. First, as a result of multiple regression analysis on both experienced start-up experiencers and general job seekers, only entrepreneurship had an effect on preference for recruitment. Second, the moderating effect of job seekers' classification was found only in the relationship between motivation for start-up and preference for employment. Third, the result of multiple regression analysis based on the start-up experiencers showed that the relationship between the motivation for start-up, the preference for recruitment, the characteristics of founders and the preference for recruitment was statistically significant. On the other hand, the characteristics of the founder and the preference for employment were rejected. Fourth, the results of the study based on general job seekers showed that the motivation for job search decreased the preference for employment. The study did not provide the results of differences in recognition between different industries, traditional enterprises and venture businesses due to the limitation of small examples. There is no clear definition of start-up experiencers either. However, it is meaningful to suggest the implications of what preparations should be made when the start-up experiencers close their start-ups and turn their career into employment and to help them to accurately recognize the importance of entrepreneurship. It also provides the preference of the general job seekers for the company, the preparation for successful employment, and the implications for the direction of the future start-up revitalization.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-30
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• 1994

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systematic disease with unpredictable course of exacerbation and remission, characterized by pain, joint deformity and reduced activity by joint limitation. The growing public awareness of the need for health management of chronic illnesses, provides impetus for nursing to demonstrate social effectiveness by active nursing intervention in this vast area in general, and with rheumatoid condition in particular. However, nursing interventions to date have not demonstrated its active participation in the management of chronic conditions. Nursing intervention for the patients having rheumatoid arthritis is one such area that needs to be studied intensively and to demonstrate their effectiveness empirically. The purposes of this study were two fold : first, to develop a comprehensive program that was intensified with therapeutic joint exercises in water, self-help group activities and utilization of self-efficacy promoting strategies : and secondly, to determine the effect of aquatic exercise program on pain, physiological changes and quality of life in the rheumatoid arthritis patients. Thirty five female subjects participating in this study were selected from outpatients in the Rheumatism Center, Hanyang University hospital. The period of data collection was from December, 1992 to March, 1993 in seoul and Taejeon. Subjects in Taejeon were assigned to the experimental group. The comprehensive aquatic exercise program for the experimental group was carried out three times a week for 6 weeks in regular swimming pool. Subjects in Seoul did not participated in the program, and treated as the control group. Data were analyzed with repeated measure MANCOVA, t-test, ANCOVA, percentage of change, Kruskal-Wallis 1-Way ANOVA using SPSS $PC^+$ program. Results were obtained as follows : 1) Scores on Korean pain scale, Numeric pain score, and RAI score of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group (t=2.11, p=0.022 ; F=4.40, p=0.044 : t=3.10, p=0.002). 2) There was significant improvement in the physiological parameters (higher joint movement parameters, F=15.64, p=0.024 ; higher lean body mass, percentage of change=+12.2, lower body weight, t=1.01, p=0.026 : lower ESR, t=1.69, p=0.001) in the experimental group compaired with subjects In the control group. 3) There was significant improvement in the specific self-efficacy score through the comprehensive aquatic exercise program(t=2.73, p=0.011), but not in the general self- efficacy score(t=0.62, p=0.113). 4) The quality of life failed to show significant improvement in the experimental group as compaired with the control group (F=3.69, p=0.064). 5) In the experimental group, findings from additional analysis showed no significant difference in the specific self-efficacy between those who continued to aquatic exercise after completing 6 week program and those who stopped (X2=0.086, p=0.690). Therefore, adherence to aquatic exercise program for 6 weeks seem to be affected mainly by self-help group activities. An indepth study to delve into articulation of mechanisms affecting the effect of aquatic exercise program be recommended. A further study is necessary to determine the difference in the effect of group and individual aquatic exercise program, to assess factors affecting adherence to exercise for an extended length of time.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.107-116
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• 2011

Respiratory gated radiation therapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy require identical tumor motions during each treatment with the motion detected in treatment planning CT. Therefore, this study developed a tumor motion monitoring and analysis system during the treatments employing RPM data, gated setup OBI images and a data analysis software. A respiratory training and guiding program which improves the regularity of breathing was used to patients. The breathing signal was obtained by RPM and the recorded data in the 4D console was read after treatment. The setup OBI images obtained gated at 0% and 50% of breathing phases were used to detect the tumor motion range in crenio-caudal direction. By matching the RPM data recorded at the OBI imaging time, a factor which converts the RPM motion to the tumor motion was computed. RPM data was entered to the institute developed data analysis software and the maximum, minimum, average of the breathing motion as well as the standard deviation of motion amplitude and period was computed. The computed result is exported in an excel file. The conversion factor was applied to the analyzed data to estimate the tumor motion. The accuracy of the developed method was tested by using a moving phantom, and the efficacy was evaluated for 10 stereotactic body radiation therapy patients. For the sine wave motion of the phantom with 4 sec of period and 2 cm of peak-to-peak amplitude, the measurement was slightly larger (4.052 sec) and the amplitude was smaller (1.952 cm). For patient treatment, one patient was evaluated not to qualified to SBRT due to the usability of the breathing, and in one patient case, the treatment was changed to respiratory gated treatment due the larger motion range of the tumor than treatment planed motion. The developed method and data analysis program was useful to estimate the tumor motion during treatment.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2014

The objective of this study is to investigate the difference of ITV lengths and ITVs between 4DCT and Slow-CT images according to respiratory patterns using a respiratory motion phantom. The respiratory periods 1~4 s and target motion 1~3 cm were applied on each respiratory pattern. 4DCT and Slow-CT images were acquired for 3 times. 4DCT and Slow-CT ITVs were measured with contouring the target in the Eclipse RTP system. The measured ITV lenghts and ITVs in 4DCT and Slow-CT images were compared to the known values. For the ITV lengths and ITVs in the 4DCT, the difference of them were reduced as the respiratory period is longer and target motion is shorter. For the Slow-CT, there was same tendency with change in 4DCT ITV lengths and ITVs about target motion. However, the difference of ITV lengths and ITVs for the respiratory periods were the lowest in respiratory period 1 second and different slightly within respiratory period 2-4 seconds. According to the respiratory patterns, pattern A had the highest reproducibility. Pattern B, C and D were showed the difference similar to each other. However, for pattern E, the reproducibility was the lowest compared with other four patterns. The difference of ITV lengths and ITVs between Slow-CT and 4DCT was increased by increasing the respiratory periods and target motion for all respiratory patterns. When the difference of Slow-CT ITV lengths and ITVs were compared with that of 4DCT ITV lengths and ITVs, Slow-CT ITV lengths and ITVs were approximately 22 % smaller than 4DCT, and the representations of target were different in each pattern. In case of pattern A, B and C, length difference was 3 mm at S (superior) and I (inferior) direction, and the length difference of pattern D was 1.45 cm at only "I" direction whereas the length difference of pattern E was 5 mm longer in "S" direction than "I" direction. Therefore, the margin in SI directions should be determined by considering the respiratory patterns when the margin of Slow-CT is compensated for 4DCT ITV lengths. Afterward, we think that the result of this study will be useful to analyze the ITV lengths and ITVs from the CT images on the basis of the patient respiratory signals.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2014

We aimed to evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of reproducibility, linearity and dose dependence of optical stimulated luminance dosimeter (OSLD) in the Co-60 Gamma-rays and to analyze with a precedent study in field of the diagnostic radiography and radiotherapy. The reproducibility was 0.76% of the coefficient of variation, the homogeneity was within 1.5% of the coefficient of variation and OSLD had supra-linear response more than 3 Gy. So the correlation between dose and count was fitted by quadratic function. The count depletion by repeated reading was 0.04% per reading regardless of the irradiated dose. And the half time of decay curve according to the irradiated dose was 0.68 min. with 1 Gy, 1.04 min. with 5 Gy, and 1.10 min. with 10 Gy, respectively. In case of annealing for 30 min, the removal rate was 88% with 1 Gy, 90% with 5 Gy, and 92% with 10 Gy, respectively and 99% in case of annealing time for 4 hour. It is feasible to use OSLDs for dose evaluation in Co-60 Gamma-rays when considering the uncertainty on the procedure according to the irradiated dose.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.998-1006
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• 2008

Purpose : Hypertension is defined as average systolic blood pressure and/or diastolic blood pressure that is ${\geq}95^{th}$ percentile for gender, age, and height on ${\geq}three$ occasions. Knowing that blood pressure values increase in children as they grow older, the purposes of this study were to measure blood pressure by an oscillometric device and to determine normal values and percentile curves for children. Methods : Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured twice with an oscillometric device in 3,545 boys and 3,145 girls under six years of age, in Seoul. Using this data, we determined average blood pressure values and percentile curves based on gender and age; we subdivided these values into blood pressures of $50^{th}$, $90^{th}$, $95^{th}$, and $99^{th}$ percentiles, by percentile of height. The regression coefficients and standard deviations of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were obtained from linear regression models. Results : Older boys and girls had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Older boys and girls in the same percentile of height for age had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Taller boys and girls within the same age group had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Conclusion : Blood pressure standards based on gender, age, and height were obtained via an oscillometric method. Llimitation of this study is that the study population was not from the whole country, but exclusively from Seoul. Nonetheless, the data from this study will be helpful in diagnosing and managing hypertension in Korean children.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.122-140
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• 2001

The aims of this study were to understand and to predict the determinent factors affecting the exercise behaviors and physical fitness by testing the Pender's revised health promotion model, and to help the patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis perform the continous exercise program, and to help them maximize the physical effect such as muscle strength, endurance, and functional status and mental effects including self efficacy and quality of life, and improve the physical and mental well being, and to provide a basis for the nursing intervention strategies. Of the selected variables in this study, the endogenous variables included the physical fitness, exercise score, exercise participation, perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers of action to exercise, activity-related affect(depression) and perceived self-efficacy, interpersonal influences(family support), situational factors(duration of arthritis, fatigue) and the exogenous variables included personal sociocultural factor(education level), personal biologic factor(body mass index), personal psychologic factor(perceived health status) and prior related behavior factors(previous participation in exercise, life-style). We analyzed the clinical records of 208 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative arthritis who visited the outpatient clinics at H university hospital in Seoul. Data were composed of self reported qustionnaire and good of fitness score which were obtained by padalling the ergometer of bicycle for 9 minutes. SPSS Win 8.0 and Window LISREL 8.12a were used for statistical analysis. Of 75 hypothetical paths that influence on physical fitness, exercise participation, exercise score, perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers of action to exercise, activity-related affect(depression) and perceived self-efficacy, interpersonal influences(family support), situational factors(duration of arthritis, fatigue), 40 were supported. The physical fitness was directly influenced by life-style, perceived health status, education level, family support, fatigue, which explained 12% of physical fitness. The exercise participation were directly influenced by life-style, education level, past exercise behavior, perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers of action, depression and duration of arthritis, which explained 47% of exercise participation. Exercise score were directly affected by perceived self efficacy. BMI, life-style, past exercise behavior, perceived benefits of action, family support, perceived health status. perceived barriers of action, and fatigue, which explained 70%. Perceived benefits of action was directly influenced by BMI, life-style, which explained 39%. Perceived barriers of action were directly influeced by past exercise behavior, perceived health status, which explained 7%. Perceived self efficacy were directly influeced by level of education, perceived health status, life-style, which explained 57%. Depression were directly influeced by past exercise behavior, BMI, life-style, which explained 27%. Family support were directly influeced by life-style, perceived health status, which explained 29%. Fatigue were directly influeced by BMI, life-style, perceived health status. which explained 41%. Duration of arthritis were directly influeced by life-style, past exercise behavior, BMI, which explained 6%. In conclusion, important variables for physical fitness were life-style, and variable affecting exercise participation were life-style. Perceived self-efficacy of exercise was a significant predictor of exercise score. BMI, Life-style, perceived benefits of action, family support, past exercise behavior showed direct effects on perceived self-efficacy. Therefore, disease related factor should be minimized for physical performance and well being in nursing intervention for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and plans to promote and continue exercise should be seeked to reduce disability. In addition, Exercise program should be planned and performed by the exact evaluation of exercise according to the ability of the patients and the contents to improve the importance of exercise and self efficacy in self control program, dedicated educational program should be involved. This study suggest that the methods to reduce the disease related factors, the importance of daily life-style, recognition of benefit of exercise, and educational program to promote self efficacy should be considered in the exercise behavior promotion and nursing intervention for continous performance. The significance of this study is also thought to provide patients with chronic arthritis the specific data for maximal physical and mental well being through exercise, chronic therapeutic procedure, daily adaptation and confrontation in nursing intervention.