• International Area Studies Review
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.321-339
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study to the analyze characteristics and purchasing activities of consumers by using the Multinomial Logit model, which is a well-known discrete selection model to explain and forecast consumers' selection activities(patterns). The study aims to determine the state of competition between National Brand and Private Band and how some demographic characters and marketing variables influence consumers' brand selections within the facial tissue market. Our analysis process includes reorganization of panel data(individuals' purchasing record at each point) to fit the purpose of our study as well as analysis of probability and influencing factors of consumers' brand selection at each point of purchases. The result showed that consumers at higher age and with higher income hold better probability to purchase National Brand. Likewise, locations also had considerable effect on selecting brand, and Private Brand was preferred in department store and discount stores. On the other hand, consumers loyal to National Brand reported higher probability to purchase if the product prices were higher while Private Brand buyers were more promoted the purchase under price discount.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.242-251
• /
• 2024

Background: This study compared the outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients aged 50 to 70 years based on the type of prosthetic valve used. Methods: We compared patients who underwent mechanical AVR to those who underwent bioprosthetic AVR at our institution between January 2000 and March 2019. Competing risk analysis and the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method based on propensity score were employed for comparisons. Results: A total of 1,580 patients (984 patients with mechanical AVR; 596 patients with bioprosthetic AVR) were enrolled. There was no significant difference in early mortality between the mechanical AVR and bioprosthetic AVR groups (0.9% vs. 1.7%, p=0.177). After IPTW adjustment, the risk of all-cause mortality was significantly higher in the bioprosthetic AVR group than in the mechanical AVR group (hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.80; p=0.014). Competing risk analysis revealed lower risks of stroke (sub-distributional hazard ratio [sHR], 0.44; 95% CI, 0.28-0.67; p<0.001) and anticoagulation-related bleeding (sHR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.23-0.53; p<0.001) in the bioprosthetic AVR group. Conversely, the risk of aortic valve (AV) reintervention was higher in the bioprosthetic AVR group (sHR, 6.14; 95% CI, 3.17-11.93; p<0.001). Conclusion: Among patients aged 50 to 70 years who underwent surgical AVR, those receiving mechanical valves showed better survival than those with bioprosthetic valves. The mechanical AVR group exhibited a higher risk of stroke and anticoagulation-related bleeding, while the bioprosthetic AVR group showed a higher risk of AV reintervention.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.549-554
• /
• 2017

This study conducted a survey on 319 Chinese women in their 20s to 50s living in three large cities in China, with an aim to analyze the influence on the purchasing behavior and satisfaction for Korean cosmetics depending on their complex purchasing tendencies. According to the research, the rational tendency was higher when the subjects were over 40 years old and married, and the impulsive tendency was the highest in those in their 30s. There was no huge difference in regions depending on the two tendencies, while there were statistically significant differences in purchasing period, times and costs when buying cosmetics. In addition, purchasing satisfaction for cosmetics had a positive correlation with purchasing tendencies. The subjects pursued convenience in purchasing as their rational tendency was higher, while they sought the trends as their impulsive tendency was higher. Based on the results, it is expected to maximize purchasing satisfaction of Chinese female consumers depending on their purchasing tendencies, if the Korean cosmetics makers provide reliable quality assurance, product exchange and customer management services. It is also expected to help revitalize the beauty market for China as well as Southeast Asia, if the Korean cosmetics companies implement differentiated marketing strategies targeting the customers in the age group with the impulsive consumption tendency.

• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2014

Previous research on loyalty program has verified the factors that influence redemption behavior and the understanding of the mechanism of redemption behavior with academic and practical implications. However, these research has not proven boundary conditions in which the phenomena can be strengthened or weakened- that is, the moderating effect remains unclear. The inclusion of moderating variables can provide a more extensive understanding of the mechanism of this behavior from academic and managerial perspectives alike. Therefore, this current research proposes regulatory focus as a moderating variable, which has received scarce attention in the study of loyalty program behavior, especially individual characteristic variables that, in turn, affect the consumers' purchasing behavior in various ways. Previous research on consumer decision making investigates the differential role of regulatory focus as a series of stages. Regulatory focus theory posits that people depend on the two types of regulatory focus when pursuing goals: promotion focus vs. prevention focus. The former induces tendencies to recognize a goal as a hope and ideal, as something that satisfies the need for accomplishment, and to be sensitive to the presence of a positive outcome of the match and to match the pursuit of goals. On the other hand, the latter tends to regard a goal as the responsibility or obligation to achieve the goal, has a tendency to avoid failure to meet a target, and is sensitive to the presence of the negative consequences that do not reach the target. The following propositions are suggested: 1) The effect of higher accumulation effort level on delaying point redemption speed will be relatively more pronounced for customers with prevention focus. 2) The effect of higher accumulation effort level on large redemption unit size will be relatively more pronounced for customers with prevention focus. 3) The effect of higher accumulation effort level on hedonic redemption ratio will be relatively more pronounced for customers with promotion focus. Therefore, this research provides a moderating variable that has the potential to be used as a reference for market segmentation and affects the relationship between point accumulation effort and three sides of point redemption behavior. On this basis, the direction for the future research on this issue is recommended. Future research could verify these propositions conducting a survey of customers' propensity of regulatory focus in conjunction with the history of the loyalty program of data. This would provide a more realistic effect on the usage behavior of loyalty program consumers by providing useful implications for both marketing practitioners and researchers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.1761-1769
• /
• 2007

This experiment was conducted to determine the extent to which susceptibility to cortisol-induced follicle shutdown is influenced by fleece phentotype. Twenty Finewool (10 sheep low fibre diameter, low coefficient of fibre diameter-LL and 10 low fibre diameter, high coefficient of variation of fibre diameter-LH) and twenty Strongwool (10 low fibre diameter, low coefficient of variation of fibre diameter-HL and 10 high fibre diameter and high coefficient of variation of fibre diameter-HH) sheep of 9 months of age were individually penned in an animal house and were injected intramuscularly with an aqueous suspension of hydrocortisone acetate at a rate of 1.42 mg/kg body weight for a period of two weeks. Fibre diameter was measured from clipped tattooed patch wool samples. Follicle activity was measured by histological changes in skin biopsies taken weekly. Blood samples were collected at two-week intervals and plasma cortisol measured. Increased plasma cortisol concentration significantly (p<0.05) reduced clean wool production and mean fibre diameter dropped to its lowest level four weeks after commencement and two weeks after the cessation of cortisol injection. Elevation of plasma cortisol concentration significantly (p<0.0001) increased the percentage of inactive follicles two weeks after injection started. High fibre diameter groups (Strongwool sheep; i.e. HL+HH) had significantly (p<0.0001) higher percentage of follicle shutdown than low fibre diameter groups (Finewool sheep; i.e. LL+LH). Average percentage of shutdown follicles for Finewool (LL+LH) and Strongwool (HL+HH) Merino sheep was $9.8{\pm}0.9$ and $13.5{\pm}0.9$ respectively. Shutdown of primary follicles was more pronounced in Finewool than Strongwool sheep. There was no significant effect of coefficient of variation of fibre diameter on propensity to follicle shutdown induced by exogenous cortisol. It is concluded that elevation in plasma cortisol concentration is inhibitory to the normal activity of follicles in Strongwool sheep but that variation in fibre diameter has little or no effect.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2020

Objectives: There is an increasing number of North Korean adolescents in South Korea. These adolescents need clinical attention as they experience a high risk of suicidal behavior because of the childhood adversity and acculturative challenges that they face before and after arriving in South Korea. This study assessed the risk of suicide attempts among North Korean adolescents compared to South Korean adolescents, and investigated the contributing factors for each group. Methods: We used data from the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey (KYRBS) spanning 2011 to 2018, in which 404 adolescents had a father and/or mother who was a North Korean native. Data on 1,212 propensity-matched South Korean adolescents were extracted from the 2011 to 2018 KYRBS. Prevalence was calculated and compared by group. Separate odds ratios were calculated by group. Results: The North Korean group had a significantly higher suicide attempt rate [unadjusted odds ratio (OR)=8.27; adjusted OR=8.45]. Multivariate analysis indicated that having a low or high socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with suicide attempts in North Korean adolescents, while being female, having a high socioeconomic status, alcohol use, and depressive symptoms were significantly related to suicide attempts in South Korean adolescents. Conclusion: The results found similarities and differences in the factors associated with the likelihood of suicide attempts in the two groups. From these results, different approaches are needed when planning interventions for each group.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.324-335
• /
• 2017

Background: The aim of this study is to analyze determinants of welfare attitudes toward healthcare services in South Korea, using three main theories: self-interest (positive welfare attitudes if the policy fulfills people's personal interests), symbolic attitudes (positive welfare attitudes if the person is politically progressive or egalitarian), and sociotropic perception (positive welfare attitudes if the person experienced positive aggregated collective experiences of societal events and trends regarding the policy). Although the definition of the welfare attitude is rather ambiguous in literatures, in this investigation, we operationalize the concept as the 'willingness to pay higher taxes to improve the level of health care services for all people in Korea' which shows individuals' actional propensity. Methods: We used the health module from the International Social Survey Program 2011 for the analysis (N= 1,391). Five logistic regression models were built successively using two variables for each theory to measure key concepts of self-interest, symbolic attitudes, and sociotropic perceptions as independent variables. Results: The result showed self-interest and symbolic attitudes factors to be strong determinants of welfare attitudes towards healthcare services in South Korea, whereas sociotropic perception factors have inconsistent effects. Conclusion: For a more politically elaborated healthcare reform in South Korea and elsewhere, there needs to be further research on various dimensions and determinants of welfare attitudes to understand popular basis of welfare expansion, especially in the era of inequality.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.59-65
• /
• 2013

Excessive sodium intake leading to hypertension, stroke, and stomach cancer is mainly caused by excess use of salt in cooking. This study was performed to estimate the salt content in school meals and to compare differences in perceptions related to sodium intake between students and staffs working for school meal service. We collected 382 dishes for food from 24 schools (9 elementary, 7 middle, 8 high schools) in Gyeonggi-do and salt content was calculated from salinity and weight of individual food. The average salt content from elementary, middle, and high school meals were 2.44 g, 3.96 g, and 5.87 g, respectively. The amount of salt provided from the school lunch alone was over 80% of the recommended daily salt intake by WHO. Noodles, stews, sauces, and soups were major sources of salt intake at dish group level, while the most salty dishes were sauces, kimchies, and stir-fried foods. Dietary knowledge and attitude related to sodium intake and consumption frequency of the salty dishes were surveyed with questionnaire in 798 students and 256 staffs working for school meal service. Compared with the staffs, the students perceived school meals salty and the proportions of students who thought school meals were salty increased with going up from elementary to high schools (P < 0.001). Among the students, middle and high school students showed significant propensity for the preference to one-dish meal, processed foods, eating much broth and dipping sauce or seasoning compared with the elementary students, although they had higher nutrition knowledge scores. These results proposed that monitoring salt content of school meals and consideration on the contents and education methods in school are needed to lower sodium intake.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.55 no.6
• /
• pp.331-336
• /
• 2014

Objective : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in sagittal spinopelvic alignment between lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (DSPL) and degenerative spinal stenosis (DSS). Methods : Seventy patients with DSPL and 72 patients with DSS who were treated with lumbar interbody fusion surgery were included in this study. The following spinopelvic parameters were measured on whole spine lateral radiographs in a standing position : pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), lumbar lordosis angle (LL), L4-S1 segmental lumbar angle (SLL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), and sagittal vertical axis from the C7 plumb line (SVA). Two groups were subdivided by SVA value, respectively. Normal SVA subgroup and positive SVA subgroup were divided as SVA value (<50 mm and ${\geq}50mm$). Spinopelvic parameters/PI ratios were assessed and compared between the groups. Results : The PI of DSPL was significantly greater than that of DSS (p=0.000). The SVA of DSPL was significantly greater than that of DSS (p=0.001). In sub-group analysis between the positive (34.3%) and normal SVA (65.7%), there were significant differences in LL/PI and SLL/PI (p<0.05) in the DSPL group. In sub-group analysis between the positive (12.5%) and normal SVA (87.5%), there were significant differences in PT/PI, SS/PI, LL/PI and SLL/PI ratios (p<0.05) in the DSS group. Conclusion : Patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis have the propensity for sagittal imbalance and higher pelvic incidence compared with those with degenerative spinal stenosis. Sagittal imbalance in patients with DSPL is significantly correlated with the loss of lumbar lordosis, especially loss of segmental lumbar lordosis.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.204-210
• /
• 2016

This paper presents an experimental analysis of the growth and oxidation processes of soot particles generated in an isooctane diffusive laminar flame due to incomplete combustion. The effects of iron-based diagnostics were employed to measure the elastic scattering light from soot particles in a flame at different flame heights, and the differential scattering coefficients were calculated through a calibration process. The growth and oxidation of soot particles in flame was investigated by comparing differential scattering coefficients, and the soot volume fraction was seen to decrease in the soot oxidation process. In the same manner, the differential scattering coefficients were calculated for iron-based fuel-additive seeded flame, and these coefficients were revealed to be smaller than those obtained in the fuel-additive unseeded flame. In addition, transmission through the radial direction of the flame was measured, and transmission in the soot oxidation regime was approximately 5% higher for the seeded flame. The propensity of the data coincided well with the differential scattering coefficients, and it can be concluded that the iron component of the fuel additive plays a crucial role as a catalyst, which eventually enhanced soot particle oxidation.