• International Journal of Highway Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.63-68
• /
• 2015

PURPOSES : A study on the efforts to minimize the road traffic noise has been underway. An attempt has been made to measure the noise level using a noise map; however, the attempt is limited to certain areas only. In general, a noise barrier is employed to prevent road traffic noise; however, unplanned noise barriers developed without considering the surrounding environment, including excessively high walls, cause problems such as infringement on prospect right. Noise ceiling at daytime in Korea is 68 dB(A), which is relatively higher than in other countries. METHODS: The noise barrier used mainly for road noise reduction was analyzed to estimate the optimal height. Related variables such as road width, the height of the upper part, distance to the building, and angle (for instance, $30^{\circ}$). RESULTS : A formula to calculate the optical height of the noise barrier, considering the road environment (i.e., parameters such as road width and distance to building), was developed in this study in an attempt to mitigate the noise generated from the road. CONCLUSIONS : The formula to calculate the noise barrier is expected to lead to cost saving, accurate installation of barriers, and protection of the right of prospect.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.33-50
• /
• 2016

In a dynamic IT environment, employees often utilize external IT resources to work more efficiently and flexibly. However, the use of external IT resources beyond its control may cause difficulties in the company. This is known as "Shadow IT." In spite of efficiency gains or cost savings, Shadow IT presents problems for companies such as the outflow of enterprise data. To address these problems, appropriate measures are required to maintain a balance between flexibility and control. Therefore, in this study, we developed a new information security management system called AIIMS (Advanced IT service & Information security Management System) and the Shadow IT Evaluation Model. The proposed model reflects a Shadow IT's attributes such as innovativeness, effectiveness, and ripple effect. AIIMS consists of five fields: current analysis; Shadow IT management plans; management process; education and training; and internal audit. There are additional management items and sub-items within these five fields. Using AIIMS, we expect to not only mitigate the potential risks of Shadow IT but also create successful business outcomes. Now is the time to draw to the Light in the Shadow IT.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.284-292
• /
• 2016

Background: In Ghana, fire incidents have become a regular occurrence, with thousands of lives and millions of dollars lost every year. Hardly a day passes without news of a fire outbreak in some part of Ghana, causing fear and panic among the people. This generates much discussion centering on rumors relating to politics, sabotage, misfortune, religious differences, etc. This article seeks to discuss the trend of fire incidents occurring in Ghana from 2000 to 2013 and the different ways to prevent these incidents. Methods: The pattern of fire incidence in Ghana as a whole as well as in each region is discussed. The study took into consideration the causes, mechanisms, as well as preventive measures against the fire menace. Data were obtained from the head office of Ghana's national fire service. Results: It was noticed that in general the rate of fire incidence increased each year. This increase was attributed to several factors: rate of population growth and industrialization, unstable electricity, urbanization, negligence, illegal electrical connection, etc. The cause of fire was categorized into domestic, industrial, vehicular, institutional, electrical, commercial, bush, and others. Among these causes, domestic fire accounted for 41% of the total number of fire incidents in the country. Conclusion: Finally, this study presents several recommendations to help prevent and mitigate fire incidents in Ghana.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.569-575
• /
• 2017

This paper proposes a method to utilize an energy storage system (ESS) based on the assessment of an area of severity (AOS) to voltage sag. The AOS is defined as a set of the fault positions that can cause voltage sags at many buses simultaneously. The assessment of AOS helps to determine an optimal location of ESS installation to minimize the expected sag frequency (ESF) at concerned buses. The ESS has the ability not only to play traditionally known roles but also to mitigate voltage sag impact on renewable energy sources (RES) in the islanded microgrid. Accordingly, using the proposed method the ESS has additional features to prevent the operation failure of RESs and improve the stability of the microgrid. In order to verify the presented method, a case study was conducted on the sample microgrid system that is modified from an IEEE 57-bus system.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.310-316
• /
• 2017

The robot proximity and tactile sensors can be categorized into two groups: grip sensors and safety sensors. They have different performance requirements. The safety sensor should have long proximity range and fast response in order to secure enough response time before colliding with ambient objects. As for the tactile sensing function, the safety sensor need to be fast and compliant to mitigate the impact from a collision. In order to meet these requirements, we proposed and demonstrated a compliant integrated safety sensor suitable to human-friendly robots. An ultrasonic proximity sensor and a piezoelectric tactile sensor made of PVDF films have been integrated in a compliant PDMS structure. The implemented sensor demonstrated the maximum proximity range of 35 cm. The directional tolerance for 30 cm detection range was about ${\pm}15^{\circ}$ from the normal axis. The integrated PVDF tactile sensor was able to detect various impacts of up to 20 N in a controlled experimental setup.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.13-18
• /
• 2018

Plant Engineering is a series of activities going through following life cycle phases: planning, basic design, detailed design, procurement and construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance, to produce a target product. From among these phases of plant engineering life cycle, a detailed design phase is an important phase producing final design deliveries. Luckily, through technical co-operation and experiences of constructing plants, large Korean engineering companies have accumulated know-hows of efficient detailed designs. However, smaller engineering companies have less experience of performing detailed designs so there is always a risk of causing design errors in the detailed design phase. To mitigate the risk of design errors in the detailed design phase, it is necessary to systematize a concrete activity model of a detailed design phase. In this paper, we have developed a prototype of a detailed design activity model through a widely used function modeling methodology called IDEF0.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.347-369
• /
• 2016

The main objective of this paper is the robust multi-objective optimization design of semi-active tuned mass damper (STMD) system using genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic. For optimal design of this system, it is required that the uncertainties which may exist in the system be taken into account. This consideration is performed through the robust design optimization (RDO) procedure. To evaluate the optimal values of the design parameters, three non-commensurable objective functions namely: normalized values of the maximum displacement, velocity, and acceleration of each story level are considered to minimize simultaneously. For this purpose, a fast and elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) approach is used to find a set of Pareto-optimal solutions. The torsional effects due to irregularities of the building and/or unsymmetrical placements of the dampers are taken into account through the 3-D modeling of the building. Finally, the comparison of the results shows that the probabilistic robust STMD system is capable of providing a reduction of about 52%, 42.5%, and 37.24% on the maximum displacement, velocity, and acceleration of the building top story, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.183-191
• /
• 2020

Background: Opioids can present intolerable adverse side-effects to patients who use these analgesics to mitigate chronic pain. In this retrospective analysis, cooled radiofrequency (CRF) denervation was evaluated to provide pain and disability relief and reduce opioid use in patients with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) derived low back pain (LBP). Methods: Twenty-seven patients with pain from SIJ refractory to conservative treatments, and taking opioids chronically (> 3 mo), were included. Numeric rating scale (NRS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were collected at 1, 6, and 12 months post-procedure. Opioid use between baseline and each follow-up visit was compared for the entire group and for those who experienced successful (pain reduction ≥ 50% of baseline value) or unsuccessful CRF denervation. Results: Severe initial mean pain (NRS score: 7.7 ± 1.0) and disability (ODI score: 50.1 ± 9.0), and median opioid use (morphine equivalent daily dose: 40 ± 37 mg) were significantly reduced up to 12 months post-intervention. CRF denervation was successful in 44.4% of the patients at 12 months. Regardless of procedure success, patients demonstrated similar opioid reductions and changes in opioid use at 12 months. Two patients (7.4%) experienced neuritis following CRF denervation. Conclusions: CRF denervation of the SIJ can safely elicit pain and disability relief, and reduce opioid use, regardless of intervention success. Future studies may support CRF denervation as a dependable therapy to alleviate opioid use in patients with SIJ-derived LBP and show that opioid use measurements can be a surrogate indicator of pain.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.17-25
• /
• 2019

Purpose - This study uses the 'Galapagos Effect' theory proposed by Japanese researchers to investigate if there is a basis for applying the theory to South Korea, specifically in the High-Tech Service area. Research Design, Data, and Methodology - The underlying characteristics of Japanese business environment that led to the Galapagos Effect are identified, and then Korea is investigated to see if these characteristics are also evident. The case studies of three South Korean companies are explored to see if they can be considered as examples of the Galapagos Effect Results - The findings illustrate that some evidence for the existence of the Galapagos Effect does exist in Korean companies, but more research is required to systemize the phenomenon. Conclusions - The study concludes that proactive measures at a Government and business level should be implemented to mitigate the effects of the Galapagos Effect in Korea. The existence of evidence suggests that there may be grounds for more comprehensive studies in order to try and make a generalization. In addition, more study needs to be done to establish exactly which kinds of high-tech service companies are most likely to hit barriers due to the Galapagos Effect as it is not clear from the existing evidence.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.9-18
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between conservative loan loss accounting practice of banks, defined as accounting behavior that increases loan loss allowances against expected credit losses, and bank lending. Furthermore, we specify the macroeconomic conditions reflecting debtors' borrowing environments and analyze how these conditions affect the relation between conservative loan loss allowances and bank lending. Although existing literature reports that accounting conservatism has a direct effect on non-financial firms' investment behavior, there is little evidence about an effect of conservatism on banks' lending behavior. By exploiting data showing the links between individual Japanese firms and their individual lenders to control both loan demand and supply, we estimate OLS regressions to test the relationships among conservative loan loss allowance, bank lending, and macroeconomic conditions using a unique dataset containing bank-firm-year observations between 2001 and 2013. We find banks that have conservative loan loss allowances tend to provide fewer loans to firms with financing needs when macroeconomic conditions are good and these conservative banks are likely to provide more loans to firms when macroeconomic conditions are bad. Our findings suggest that reflecting expected credit loss into loan loss allowances can mitigate the procyclical behavior of banks.