• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.103-110
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• 2024

Purpose: This study investigated the microbial status of beverages and desserts containing strawberries sold at coffee outlets in Busan, South Korea. The study sought to identify differencesin types of foodservice management and microbial status of beverages and desserts. Research design and methodology: This study compared microbial status between franchised and single-unit outlets via microbial laboratory tests. In addition, impact of risk factors on microbial status were investigated. We analyzed the data using independent t-tests and chi-square tests. In order to measure the impact of risk factors on microbial status, multiple regression was run. We expected franchised outlets to be more likely to apply food safety practices than single-unit outlets. The principal results: Results of microbial testing showed that franchised outlets had a higher microbial status than single-unit outlets. The results showed that franchise outlets were more inclined to adhere to food safety practices than single-unit outlets when it comes to total number of bacteria however for coliform group results showed otherwise. Major conclusions: These study results suggest that a standard food safety and sanitation manual for coffee outlets is needed, especially for single-unit coffee outlets. The current inspection items should be revised accordingly to ensure customer safety.

• Composites Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.147-153
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• 2012

In this paper, static perforation tests are conducted to predict the penetration energy for the composite laminates subjected to high velocity impact. Three methods are used to analyze the perforation energy accurately. The first method is to select the perforation point using the AE sensor signal energy, the second method is to retest the tested specimen and use the difference between initial and retested perforation energy, and the third method is to select the perforation point based on the maximum loading point in the retested load-displacement curve of the tested specimen. The predicted perforation energy results are presented and verified by comparing with those by the high velocity tests.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2008

The free-surface motions interacting with structures are investigated numerically using the Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method proposed by Koshizuka et al. (1996) for solving incompressible flow. In the method, Lagrangian moving particles are used instead of Eulerian approach using grid system. Therefore the terms of time derivatives in Navier-Stokes equation can be directly calculated without any numerical diffusion or instabilities due to the fully Lagrangian treatment of fluid particles and topological failure never occur. The MPS method is applied to the numerical study on the fluid impact loads for wet-drop tests in a LNG tank, and the results are compared with experimental ones.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2016

Coupling systems under train's collision should take the impact by absorbing the impact energy caused from the collision, so the systems are very important parts for the safety of the trains. However, it is not easy to evaluate the performance of the system because it requires a huge testing facility, which is able to control the impact and to handle many safety issues. In this paper, test results are provided, which are obtained from collision tests of a single train having a coupling system in the front, and the results are analyzed in order to understand the characteristics and the dynamic behaviors of energy absorbing materials in the coupling system, such as a hydraulic buffer, and two rubber buffers. The results show that the force of each component could be empirically described by the compression displacement and velocity. The analyzed results will be applied to simulation models, and advanced studies wouuld be available if the simulation models are well validated with the test results.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.9
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• pp.527-536
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• 2020

International business research presents a broad consensus on the importance of dynamic capabilities in the internationalization of SMEs. However, there is a lack of research on assessing the impact of dynamic capabilities and the level of SMEs' internationalization operating in a turbulent and dynamic business environment. This study examines the impact of environmental dynamism and three sets of dynamic capabilities, namely, sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring capabilities on internationalized SMEs' geographic scope. In addition, this research examines the association between internationalized SMEs' characteristics: SME's age, size, and SME owner/manager's international experience and SMEs' geographic scope. This study used a quantitative research and employed survey questionnaires to collect data from 305 internationalized Malaysian manufacturing SMEs. Anova tests and Chi Square tests were employed to analyze data collected from respondents using SPSS. Research findings revealed that environmental dynamism and dynamic capabilities have a significant impact on internationalized SMEs' geographic scope, however, none of the internationalized SMEs' characteristics had a significant relationship with their geographic scope. The result of this research suggest internationalized SMEs owner/managers need to possess sensing, seizing and reconfiguring capabilities, and monitor business environmental dynamism to increase their geographic scope. This paper ends with drawing a set of concluding remarks and recommendations.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.145-151
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• 2008

Material degradation such as high temperature oxidation of metallic material is a severe problem in energy generation systems or manufacturing industries. The metallic materials are oxidized to form oxide films in high temperature environments. The oxide films act as diffusion barriers of oxygen and metal ions and thereafter decrease oxidation rates of metals. The metal oxidation is, however, accelerated by mechanical fracture and spalling of the oxide films caused by thermal stresses by repetition of temperature change, vibration and by the impact of solid particles. It is therefore very important to investigate mechanical properties and adhesion of oxide films in high temperature environments, as well as the properties in a room temperature environment. The oxidation tests were conducted for Ni and Ni-Co alloy under high temperature corrosive environments. The hardness distributions against the indentation depth from the top surface were examined at room temperature. Dynamic indentation tests were performed on Ni oxide films formed on Ni surfaces at room and high temperature to observe fractures or cracks generated around impact craters. As a result, it was found that the mechanical property as hardness of the oxide films were different between Ni and Ni-Co alloy, and between room and high temperatures, and that the adhesion of Ni oxide films was relatively stronger than that of Co oxide films.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.120-123
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• 2016

The rotor of a turbomolecular drag pump is generally made of an aluminum alloy. Its surface finish is affected by various processes that the rotor itself undergoes during the manufacturing phase. The impact of different surface finishes on the pumping performances of a turbomolecular pump has been mainly investigated by Sawada et al [1]. The present work aims to broaden the previous bibliographic study to the drag stages of a turbomolecular pump by testing the impact of different surface finishes on the compression ratio of the pump. Experimental tests have been made focusing on two processes: the corundum sandblasting and the glass microspheres shot-peening. Both the processes flatten and/or physically remove EDM melted spheres; in particular, blasted surfaces obtained by glass shot-peening are generally smoother than surfaces obtained by corundum sandblasting. In order to characterize the surface texture left by such processes, preliminary surface roughness measurements have been made on the drag rotor disks of several pumps. The experimental tests conducted on both sandblasted and shot-peened rotors confirms previous results obtained on the turbo stages by Sawada et al. [1], showing that the average roughness of the surface has an impact on the compression ratio of the pump; in particular, an increment in the surface roughness causes a corresponding increment in the compression ratio of the pump and vice versa. For the tested pumps, the higher surface roughness gives a factor of increment of about 2 on the measured hydrogen maximum compression ratio of the pump.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.23-33
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• 2022

Purpose: Although foreign capital flows have played a vital role in fostering the economic growth in recipient countries, there are some concerns about the adverse impact of international capital flows on the banking stability. Hence, the study revisits this issue to explore the relationship between the different types of foreign investments and banking stability in ASEAN region. Research design, data and methodology: Based on the bank-level data of 96 commercial banks and country-level in six ASEAN countries from 2008 to 2019, we perform the multivariate regression analysis and provide a variety of robustness tests. Results: Our empirical evidence shows the volatility of foreign portfolio investments has significantly negative effect on the banking stability, besides that of foreign other investments has the similar influence but the result is relatively less pronounced in some robustness tests. Additionally, increasing trade cooperation and international distribution may lead countries to face higher risk of banking instability driven from these international investments. Meanwhile, the impact of foreign direct investments is positive, but the evidence is the least obvious. Conclusions: Our findings suggest policy-makers in ASEAN and emerging nations as a whole should carefully consider when building policies-related to mitigate the adverse impact of foreign capital flows.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2022

Despite the importance of the insurance business for financial and economic development, few studies have looked at the factors that influence its growth. This research adds to the body of knowledge by empirically examining the impact of numerous factors on the development of the insurance business in 15 Middle East and North African (MENA) countries from 2000 to 2017. The study looks at macroeconomic, demographic, and institutional factors as potential drivers of the insurance industry's growth, with the insurance premium as a percentage of GDP as the dependent variable. All variables are stationary at the first difference, according to the IPS panel unit root test. The Pedroni residual cointegration test, Kao residual cointegration test, and Johansen-Fisher panel cointegration tests are then used to look for long-run associations. The cointegration tests strongly suggest that the insurance premium and the various variables have long-run correlations. Findings from the Fully-Modified OLS imply that GDP per capita, gross capital formation, and the KOF economic globalization index have a positive long-term impact on the insurance business. The insurance business is also driven by combating corruption and the rule of law. The population and regulatory quality, on the other hand, have no significant impact.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

Purpose: As a major economy attracting foreign investment, China is currently facing significant international economic pressure due to the appreciation of the RMB. Additionally, China is at a critical period of socio-economic development, where foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an indispensable role in stabilizing economic growth, adjusting industrial structure, and promoting economic transformation. Research design, data and methodology: This paper focuses on the relationship between RMB exchange rate expectations and FDI. It examines the magnitude of their relationship through empirical research using cointegration tests, Granger causality tests, and BVAR (Bayesian Vector Autoregression) analysis. Results: The comprehensive study of the empirical results in this paper concludes that there is a long-term cointegrated relationship between China's RMB exchange rate expectations and foreign direct investment, indicating that their relationship is stable in the long run. It is also found that RMB exchange rate expectations have a significantly positive impact in the short term, but this impact is not significant in the long term. Conclusions: The paper also considers the possibility of establishing a China-EU Free Trade Area in the future and offers policy recommendations regarding RMB exchange rate expectations and foreign direct investment.