• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.3-10
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• 2022

An estimated investment gap of $176 billion needs to be filled over the next ten years to improve America's inland waterway transportation systems. Many of these infrastructure systems are now beyond their original 50-year design life and are often behind in maintenance due to funding constraints. Therefore, long-term maintenance strategies (i.e., asset management (AM) strategies) are needed to optimize investments across these waterway systems to improve their condition. Two common AM strategies include policy-driven maintenance and performance-driven maintenance. Currently, limited research exists on selecting the optimal AM approach for managing inland waterway transportation assets. Therefore, the goal of this study is to provide a decision model that can be used to select the optimal alternative between the two AM approaches by considering key uncertainties such as asset condition, asset test results, and asset failure. We achieve this goal by addressing the decision problem as a single-criterion problem, which calculates each alternative's expected value and certain equivalence using allocated monetary values to determine the recommended alternative for optimally maintaining navigable waterways. The decision model considers estimated and predicted values based on the current state of the infrastructure. This research concludes that the performance-based approach is the optimal alternative based on the expected value obtained from the analysis. This research sets the stage for further studies on fiscal constraints that will effectively optimize these assets condition.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.962-969
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• 2008

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an agonizing illness that impedes the quality of life of people worldwide. Although this syndrome is reported to be increasing in industrialized countries, there are as yet no effective therapies. In the view of Oriental medicine, chronic fatigue syndrome is thought to result from a state of unbalanced inter-organ functions, or a condition of deficiency in the qi or blood characteristics. On the other hand, chronic fatigue-related symptoms are one of the most common complaints of patients using complementary and alternative medicine. This study aimed to theoretically analyze chronic fatigue syndrome from an Oriental medicine point of view, so to help Oriental doctors to design appropriate therapeutic models.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.239-259
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• 2008

This paper is to find and to suggest alternative ways of description on function chapters in the middle school mathematics so that the descriptions be more closely related to daily life. The research has two phases: one for belief on the usefulness, the other for cognitive ability to solve the practical problems. Results are as following. 1. Most descriptions of corresponding chapters have emphases on the usefulness of functions so as to enhance beliefs on the use of functions. 2. Most practical functions contain expressions of large constant term and large coefficients in magnitude while those are not in the descriptions of tektbooks, especially in case of using ruled papers. 3. For quadratic functions, most students do not detect the degree of the function from the data presented by pairs of values of x and y. And those are not dealt with in most of textbooks, which are given in the MIC textbook.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Modern weapon systems are multifunctional, with capabilities for executing complex missions. However, they are required to be highly reliable, which increases their total cost of ownership. Because it is necessary to produce the best results within a limited budget, there is an increasing interest in development, acquisition, and maintenance costs. Consequently, there is a need for tools that calculate the lifecycle costs of weapons systems development to facilitate decision making. In this study, we propose a cost calculation function based on the Markov process simulator-a reliability, availability, and maintainability analysis tool developed by applying the Markov-Monte Carlo method-as an alternative to these requirements to facilitate decision-making in systems development.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2004

Objectives : To evaluate the cost and proportion of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in the total healthcare costs among the elderly in the last 6 months of life. Methods : The care-giving families of 301 persons older than 65 years, who died between July 1st and December 31st of 2001, and were also registered in Self-Employed Health Insurance Programs in Seoul, were interviewed. Results : The cost of CAM was 1.09 million Won, which as a proportion of the total healthcare cost was 38.1%. The elderly aged between 65 and 69 year-old, male, living with their spouse, Buddhist and having cancers had higher CAM costs in an ANOVA and simple regression analysis. After controlling of various factors, age was the only significant factor associated with the cost of CAM. The elderly above 80 years old, female, bereaved and Buddhist had higher proportional CAM costs, and the elderly having cancers or cardiovascular diseases had lower proportional CAM costs in an ANOVA and simple regression analysis. After adjusting for various factors, the elderly above 85 years old, female and Buddhist had higher proportional CAM costs, and the elderly having cancers had lower proportional CAM costs. Conclusion : The very old and Buddhist, and/or the ill with no clear diagnosis, may depend more on CAM. Further research will be needed on the meaning and impact of CAM and their costs to public health and the total healthcare system.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.135-157
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• 2022

Religion has a very close relationship with our everyday lives. In particular, religion maintains an absolute and ultimate value system and is deeply associated with all sectors of society such as politics, economy, thought, arts, culture, and science. The original meaning of religion in Buddhism means the teachings that become fundamentals. There are numerous religions around the world, and each religion has its own object of faith, different system, and unique rites and lifestyles. Therefore, evaluating or denouncing other regions based on the doctrines or conventions of a specific religion can lead to conflicts and disputes. The Buddhist Vinaya Pitaka related to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is a method regarding the operation of a community. Vinaya Pitaka contains Buddha's teachings about individual and organizational ethics and on community life and activities. It is the Buddhist dispute resolution (BDR) of the Vinayata Pitaka that contains knowledge on howto remedy disputes among the four types of disputes that can occur. Vinaya Pitaka contains the principles and systems of BDR, and it is sufficient background for succeeding in the development of harmony today. The messages of laws, ethics, and Buddhist teachings are clear in these characteristics. The systems, progress, and procedures for various rites, events, and disputes as well as for everyday life, etc. display a rational operating system through karma. In particular, when disputes occur, the cause of the dispute is resolved as much as possible through transparent fairness and being unanimous using the seven remedies for disputes. Buddhist priests pursue private autonomy of ADR through karma, repentance, acceptance, etc. to maintain and continue the integrated functions of Buddhist priest harmony.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.45-73
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• 2004

The goal of this study is to broaden our understanding about the antecedents for job turnover intention of salesforces. In addition to the previously studied antecedents such as job performance, satisfaction, organizational commitment, in this study we are particularly interested in the variable of alternative attractiveness which is often studied in social exchange theory, Thus, we suggest a model with a new antecedent for job turnover intention by introducing alternative attractiveness. We collected and analyzed the data from the survey on the 178 salespeople at the life insurance companies. We find the alternative attractiveness as an significant antecedent for the turnover intention. Specifically, the more attractive the alternative the greater the intention of turnover. However, we also find that the salesforces are less attracted to the alternative if they are satisfied with their works, Therefore, we believed this research can be a seminary work with the relational perspective for the studies of salesforce management.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.885-896
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• 2013

2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) has immense industrial applications. Recently, microbial fermentation has emerged as an alternative way to produce this industrially important chemical. Although 2,3-BDO is produced by several microorganisms, the Klebsiella genera has an excellent production compared with other 2,3-BDO-producing microorganisms. In order to produce 2,3-BDO on a large scale, the challenges of removing pathogenic factors from Klebsiella pneumoniae need to be addressed. K. pneumoniae produces a number of virulence factors that contribute to its pathogenesis, including lipopolysaccharides, capsules, fimbrial adhesins, etc. Removal of these pathogenic factors from 2,3-BDO-producing Klebsiella strains will result in avirulent strains for the safe, economic, and efficient production of 2,3-BDO. In this review, we summarize the current trends in 2,3-BDO production using K. pneumoniae and insights into the removal of its virulence factors for industrial applications.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1080-1095
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• 2024

In contemporary society, the increasing number of pet-owning households has significantly heightened interest in companion animal health, expanding the probiotics market aimed at enhancing pet well-being. Consequently, research into the gut microbiota of companion animals has gained momentum, however, ethical and societal challenges associated with experiments on intelligent and pain-sensitive animals necessitate alternative research methodologies to reduce reliance on live animal testing. To address this need, the Fermenter for Intestinal Microbiota Model (FIMM) is being investigated as an in vitro tool designed to replicate gastrointestinal conditions of living animals, offering a means to study gut microbiota while minimizing animal experimentation. The FIMM system explored interactions between intestinal microbiota and probiotics within a simulated gut environment. Two strains of commercial probiotic bacteria, Enterococcus faecium IDCC 2102 and Bifidobacterium lactis IDCC 4301, along with a newly isolated strain from domestic dogs, Lactobacillus acidophilus SLAM AK001, were introduced into the FIMM system with gut microbiota from a beagle model. Findings highlight the system's capacity to mirror and modulate the gut environment, evidenced by an increase in beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Faecalibacterium and a decrease in the pathogen Clostridium. The study also verified the system's ability to facilitate accurate interactions between probiotics and commensal bacteria, demonstrated by the production of short-chain fatty acids and bacterial metabolites, including amino acids and gamma-aminobutyric acid precursors. Thus, the results advocate for FIMM as an in vitro system that authentically simulates the intestinal environment, presenting a viable alternative for examining gut microbiota and metabolites in companion animals.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.253-261
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• 2009

For the environment-friendly control of beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, in spring onion fields, we have examined an alternative application method. Twenty-five insecticides registered for spring onion were tested for control effect against the beet armyworm in the laboratory, then the best 9 chemical and a single biological insecticides were selected and compared with 2 new isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis in a polyvinyl house. After that, 4 chemical and 3 B. thuringiensis treatments were used in the field for the control of beet armyworm in the spring onion. Two application methods are used: one is triple treatments with the same chemical and the other is alternative application with different chemicals and B. thuringiensis for 7 days intervals. Indoxacarb WP - chlorfluazuron EC - B.t. var. kurstaki CAB141 and indoxacarb WP - methoxyfenozide + spinosad SC - Chlorfluazuron EC - B.t. var. aizawai CAB109, B.t. var. kurstaki CAB141 showed greater than 78% mortality of beet armyworm larvae and greater than 43% damage decrease in spring onions infested by beet armyworm. These results showed that alternative applications had higher control effect than any other applications. It was suggested that alternative applications with microbial biological agents such as B. thuringiensis might minimize the development of insecticide resistance and might be used as the environment-friendly control of the beet armyworm.