• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2011

Research regarding corporate associations in marketing has generally been approached using the association theory. However, limited research investigates the effect of corporate associations on consumer loyalty to individual brands by examining the role of self connectedness with a corporate image. The activation of behavior-related constructs can influence individuals' behaviors without their intention or conscious awareness. A recently developed body of research suggests that self connection can play an important role in affecting subsequent behaviors. Although these effects have received considerable attention, the set of mechanisms involved in self connectedness and loyalty to individual brands is not clear. An active self account in which associative constructs can affect behavior by temporarily altering the active self-concept may lead to behavior or evaluation. If the exposure to a corporate brand can induce consumers' cognitive associations and goal-primed effects through the role of active self accounting, the connectedness between the consumer's self and the corporate brand could be developed and this connectedness could be explained by associative and connection models and the goal priming theory. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of corporate associations on loyalty to individual brands through connections between the corporate and the consumer's self. There are three main purposes of the research. First, theories regarding corporate associations will be explored. Second, theories of self-concept will be investigated and self connectedness with corporate brands will be explored. Third, the effects of the connectedness between the self and the corporation on corporate identification and loyalty to individual brands will be investigated. For the purposes of this research, the types of corporate associations are classified into corporate ability (CA) associations and corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations. Furthermore, the connectedness between the consumer's self and the corporate image are divided into two concepts: the connectedness between the individual self-concept and the corporate identity and the connectedness between social self-concept and the corporate identity. This study suggests the hypotheses that the types of consumer self connections with the corporate image could vary according to the types of corporate associations created and further that the connectedness between the corporate association and the consumer's self-concept have positive effects on loyalty to corporate individual brands. The results of testing these hypotheses are as follows. First, corporate ability associations enhance the connectedness between the consumer's individual self and corporate brands. That is, corporate ability associations influence individual connectedness between the corporate and individual self-concept positively from the viewpoint of the consumer's personal ability and branding success. In addition, corporate social responsibility associations have a positive effect on social connectedness between the corporation and the consumer's social self-concept. Second, the connectedness between the corporate brand and the consumer's self-concept affects identification with the corporation. The consumer's personal self and social self connectedness induces corporate identification. Third, individual self connectedness has a positive effect on loyalty to corporate individual brands, while social self connectedness does not. This also means that individual self connectedness with the corporate image or brand plays a more important role in forming individual brand loyalty than social self connectedness with the corporate does. In addition, social connectedness cannot influence individual brand loyalty until it passes through identification with the corporate. Fourth, consumers who experience identification with a corporate identity also show positive responses to corporate individual brands. That is, consumers also develop loyalties toward individual brands through the corporate identification because self-pursued goals that are induced by corporate associations can be achieved by consuming the individual brands that are sold by the corporate that the consumers identify with.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.444-454
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• 2022

Objectives: We aimed to identify the factors related to depression and quality of life in patients with hypertension by using multilevel regression analysis. Methods: In 2019, 229 043 participants in the Korean Community Health Survey were selected as the study group. Individual factors were identified using data from the 2019 Community Health Survey. Regional factors were identified using data from the National Statistical Office of Korea. Multilevel regression analysis was conducted to find individual and local factors affecting depression and quality of life in patients with hypertension and to determine any associated interactions. Results: As individual factors in patients with hypertension, women, those with lower education-levels, recipients of basic livelihood benefits, and those with poor dietary conditions showed stronger associations with depression and quality of life. As regional factors and individual-level variables in patients with hypertension, lower gross regional personal income, fewer doctors at medical institutions, and lower rates of participation in volunteer activities presented stronger associations with depression and quality of life. In addition, the associations of depression with gross regional personal income, the number of doctors at medical institutions, and dietary conditions were significantly stronger in patients with hypertension than in patients without hypertension. The associations of gender and employment status with quality of life were also significantly greater. Conclusions: Policy interventions are needed to adjust health behaviors, prevent depression, and improve quality of life for patients with hypertension, especially for those with the risk factors identified in this study.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.25-32
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• 2014

Following the collaborator meetings report towards practical engineering education at universities(June 2010), the Pioneering University Reform Project supported by The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) of Japan solicited opinions from industry, professional associations, and academia on the goals of the individual fields, as well as common goals, that could be adaptable and applicable for a broad range of universities and curricula. This paper gives an overview of two surveys that were conducted, as well as a summary of the mechanical engineering goals as an example of the individual fields.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.308-322
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• 2016

Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate associations between contextual characteristics and unmet healthcare needs in South Korea after accounting for individual factors. Methods: The present study used data from the 2012 Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) of 228 902 adults residing within 253 municipal districts in South Korea. A multilevel analysis was conducted to investigate how contextual characteristics, defined by variables that describe the regional deprivation, degree of urbanity, and healthcare supply, are associated with unmet needs after controlling for individual-level variables. Results: Of the surveyed Korean adults, 12.1% reported experiencing unmet healthcare needs in the past. This figure varied with the 253 districts surveyed, ranging from 2.6% to 26.2%. A multilevel analysis found that the association between contextual characteristics and unmet needs varied according to the factors that caused the unmet needs. The degree of urbanity was associated with unmet need due to "financial burden" (odds ratio [OR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42 to 0.66 for rural vs. metropolitan), but not unmet need due to "service not available when needed." There were no significant associations between these unmet need measures and regional deprivation. Among individual-level variables, income level showed the highest association with unmet need due to "financial burden" (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 4.76 to 6.66), while employment status showed a strong association with unmet need due to "service not available when needed." Conclusions: Our finding suggests that different policy interventions should be considered for each at-risk population group to address the root cause of unmet healthcare needs.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.38.1-38.9
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• 2020

Chronotype is an important moderator of psychiatric illnesses, which seems to be controlled in some part by genetic factors. Clock genes are the most relevant genes for chronotype. In addition to the roles of individual genes, gene-gene interactions of clock genes substantially contribute to chronotype. We investigated genetic associations and gene-gene interactions of the clock genes BHLHB2, CLOCK, CSNK1E, NR1D1, PER1, PER2, PER3, and TIMELESS for chronotype in 1,293 healthy Korean individuals. Regression analysis was conducted to find associations between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and chronotype. For gene-gene interaction analyses, the quantitative multifactor dimensionality reduction (QMDR) method, a nonparametric model-free method for quantitative phenotypes, were performed. No individual SNP or haplotype showed a significant association with chronotype by both regression analysis and single-locus model of QMDR. QMDR analysis identified NR1D1 rs2314339 and TIMELESS rs4630333 as the best SNP pairs among two-locus interaction models associated with chronotype (cross-validation consistency [CVC] = 8/10, p = 0.041). For the three-locus interaction model, the SNP combination of NR1D1 rs2314339, TIMELESS rs4630333, and PER3 rs228669 showed the best results (CVC = 4/10, p < 0.001). However, because the mean differences between genotype combinations were minor, the clinical roles of clock gene interactions are unlikely to be critical.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.98-105
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• 2022

Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is a common chronic condition among sedentary workers that causes long-term productivity loss. This study aimed to identify the relationships of individual and occupational factors with LBP among Bangladeshi online professionals. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 468 full-time online professionals who usually worked in a sitting position. One-month LBP complaints were assessed using a musculoskeletal subscale of subjective health complaints. The chi-square test was used to measure associations between categorical predictors and LBP, and multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify the variables significantly associated with LBP. Results: LBP within the last month was reported by 65.6% of participants. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that age >30 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23 to 0.70) and being married (aOR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.97) had significant negative associations with LBP. Significant positive associations were found for spending >50 hours weekly on average working in a sitting position (aOR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.49), being overweight and obese (aOR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.99), sleeping on a soft mattress (aOR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.06 to 3.80), and ex-smoking status (aOR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.41 to 7.87). Conclusions: A high prevalence of LBP was found among full-time online professionals. Long working hours in a sitting position showed a significant association with developing LBP. Smoking history, body mass index, and sleeping arrangements should also be considered while considering solutions for LBP prevalence among online professionals.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 1999

UBVI CCD photometry has been obtained for a region around the Wolf-Rayet star WR 12. We found two young stellar associations in the observed field: the nearer one comprises the field members of Vela OBI association at d = 1.8kpc, while the farther one is the young open cluster Bochum 7 (Bo 7) at d = 4.8kpc. The stars associated with Bo 7 showed no central concentration which suggests that Bo 7 is not a young open cluster but simply a local concentration in the density of young stars belonging to the OB association (Vel OB3). These two associations have similar ages but remarkably different mass function slopes ($\Gamma$ = -2.1 $\pm$ 0.3 for Vel OBI and -1.0 $\pm$ 0.3 for Bo 7). The stars in Vel OBI shows an evident age spread (${\Delta}T\~ 9Myr$). We also found two strong H$\alpha$ emission stars - WR 12 and $\sharp$1066 - from narrow band H$\alpha$ photometry.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.862-879
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• 2001

The walls of all higher plants are organized as a cellulosic, fibrillar phase embedded in a matrix phase composed of non-cellulosic polysaccharides, some proteins and, in most secondary walls, lignin. At the effective utilization of plant biomass, qualitative and quantitative analyses of plant cell walls are essential. Structural features of individual components are being clarified using newly developed equipments and techniques. However, "empirical" procedures to elucidate plant cell walls, which are not due to scientific definition of components, are still applied in some fields. These procedures may give misunderstanding for the effective utilization of plant biomass. In addition, interesting the investigation of wall organization is moving towards not only qualitatively characterisation, but also quantitation of the associations between wall components. These involve polysaccharide-polysaccharide and polysaccharide-lignin cross-links. Investigation of the associations is being done in order to understand the chemical structure, organization and biosynthesis of the cell wall and physiology of the plants. Procedures for qualitative and quantitative analyses based on the definition of cell wall components are reviewed focussing in nutritional elucidation of forage grasses by ruminant microorganisms.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.74-82
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• 2002

There are two major operation and management (O & M) systems in Korea, one by the Korea Agricultural and Rural Infrastructure Corporation (KARICO), a government corporation, and the other by non-KARICO, which includes Irrigation associations (IAs) and individual farmers under the supervision of city or county authorities. Main issues and constraints in the irrigation facility management are: (1) The dual system of the irrigation water management system; management by KARICO and that by IAs, and (2) From the commencement of KAICO in 2000, farmers were exempted from water charge. This is opposite to the international trend, which follows' user pay principle: Main specific strategies to improve irrigation management system are: (1) Introduction of water metering for water charge as well as water conservation, (2) Adoption of demand-oriented irrigation rather than supply-oriented to reduce waste of water, (3) To augment farmer's participation by forming water user associations, (4) To maintain consistency of government policy, (5) To promote roles of local governments, and (6) To reestablish the role of KARICO.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.71
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• pp.75-115
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• 2015

This study is to describe the meaning of associations at $5{\cdot}18$-related photographic portrait phenomenologically. Referent in the photography arouses different and unique type of associations. Moreover, it appears differently emotional experience by the associations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe types of associations and emotional experience about referents gained through $5{\cdot}18$ photography and to construct the meaning. It is based on concepts of primordial associations discussing in the phenomenology but this study was described the meaning of $5{\cdot}18$ the May 18th democratic uprising focusing on types of associations and meanings derived by direct experience from photography. According to this result, the viewpoint of $5{\cdot}18$ Democracy Movement approaches from objective academic system or cannot be withdrew as dynamics of the political ideology. It is that the fundamental and impulsive emotions from each individual who participated in the movement are affected. The fundament of the May 18th democratic uprising is based on their basis of life and the will to primitive power of a love & affective community.