• Title/Summary/Keyword: neutral element

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Black ginseng extract ameliorates hypercholesterolemia in rats

  • Saba, Evelyn;Jeon, Bo Ra;Jeong, Da-Hye;Lee, Kija;Goo, Youn-Kyoung;Kim, Seung-Hyung;Sung, Chang-Keun;Roh, Seong-Soo;Kim, Sung Dae;Kim, Hyun-Kyoung;Rhee, Man-Hee
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.160-168
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    • 2016
  • Background: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is a well-characterized medicinal herb listed in the classic oriental herbal dictionary as "Shin-nong-bon-cho-kyung." Ginseng has diverse pharmacologic and therapeutic properties. Black ginseng (BG, Ginseng Radix nigra) is produced by repeatedly steaming fresh ginseng nine times. Studies of BG have shown that prolonged heat treatment enhances the antioxidant activity with increased radical scavenging activity. Several recent studies have showed the effects of BG on increased lipid profiles in mice. In this study report the effects of water and ethanol extracts of BG on hypercholesterolemia in rats. To our knowledge, this is the first time such an effect has been reported. Methods: Experiments were conducted on male Sprague Dawley rats fed with a high-cholesterol diet supplemented with the water and ethanol extracts of BG (200 mg/kg). Their blood cholesterol levels, serum white blood cell levels, and cholesterol-metabolizing marker genes messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were determined. Liver and adipose tissues were histologically analyzed. Results: We found that BG extracts efficiently reduced the total serum cholesterol levels, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels with increased food efficiency ratio and increased number of neutrophil cells. It also attenuated the key genes responsible for lipogenesis, that is, acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) acetyltransferase 2, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2, at the mRNA level inside liver cells. Furthermore, the BG extract also reduced the accumulation of fat in adipose tissues, and inhibited the neutral fat content in liver cells stained with hematoxylin and eosin and oil red O. Conclusion: Administration of BG extracts to Sprague Dawley rats fed with high-cholesterol diet ameliorated hypercholesterolemia, which was mediated via modulation of cholesterol-metabolizing marker genes. This data throw a light on BG's cardioprotective effects.

An Optimization of a Walkway Block Structure for Rainwater Harvesting (빗물저장 및 활용을 위한 보도블럭구조의 최적화)

  • Cho, Taejun;Son, Byung-Jik
    • Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.40-47
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    • 2018
  • Porous walkway blocks are constructed for the purpose already, but reserved water is easily consumed due to the bigger permeability than necessary. Furthermore, porous structure reduces the strength of blocks, which resulting cracking and settlements in walkways. In this study, we suggested a solution for given problems by determination for the location of minimum principal stress in walkway blocks against moving foot loads in order to design and verifying the determined location of minimum principal stress. An optimum design with a verification example for determined location of minimum principal stress have been presented in a two dimensional Block member on elastic foundation for pedestrian walkway for reserving water inside. The minimum value for sum of shear forces is found when ${\times}1$ is 58.58 mm(30% of total span, 200mm), while the minimum deformation is located at ${\times}2=80mm$(70% of total span, 200 mm). In a modified model, When moving boundary condition(walkway foot loads) is located at ${\times}1$(=0 mm), the location of minimum principal stresses is found at 168 mm( 84% of span, 200 mm), in which the stress concentration due to the foot load is modeled as two layers of distributed loads(reactions of foundation modeled as springs). Consequently, zero deformed reservoirs for rainwater on the neutral axis (${\times}2=167mm$) has been determined in the modified model with three dimensional FEM analysis verifications.

A Geochemical Study on the Dispersion of Heavy Metal Elements in Dusts and Soils in Urban and Industrial Environments (도시 및 산업환경 분진 및 토양중의 중금속 원소들의 분산에 관한 지구화학적 연구)

  • Chon, Hyo-Taek;Choi, Wan-Joo
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.25 no.3
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    • pp.317-336
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    • 1992
  • The garden soils, main road dusts, residential road dusts, and playground soils/dusts of Seoul, Geumsan, Onsan, and Taebaek areas were analyzed in order to investigate the level of heavy metal pollution by urbanization and industrialization. The soil pH is in the range of 5.48~8.40 and was generally neutral. The color of soils and dusts is mainly Raw Umber to dark greyish Raw Umber. Some samples from Taebaek city, a coal mining area, showed a deep black color due to contamination by coal dusts. Major minerals of the dusts and soils are quartz, feldspars, and micas, reflecting the composition of the parent rocks. However, pyrite was found as a major mineral in the samples of industrial road dusts of Onsan, a smelting area, and resicential road dusts of Taebaek. Thus, the high level of heavy metals in mining and smelting areas can be explained with the sulfide minerals. The mode of occurences of heavy metals in Seoul, a comprehensive urbanized area, were related to the metallic pollutants and organic materials through observation by scanning eletron microscopy. In main road and residential road dusts of Onsan area, Cd, Zn, and Cu were extremely high. Some industrial road and residential road dusts of Seoul area showed high Cu, Zn, and Pb contents, wereas some garden soils and residential road dusts of Taebaek area were high in As content. In general, the heavy metal contents in dust samples were two to three times higher than those in soil samples. Main road dust samples were the most reflective from the discriminant analysis of multi-element data. Cadmium, Sb, and Se in Onsan area, As in Taebaek area, Pb and Te in Seoul area were most characteristic in discriminating the studied areas. Therefore, Cd in smelting areas, As in coal mining areas, and Pb in metropolitan areas can be suggested as the characteristic elements of each pollution pattern. The dispersion of heavy metal elements in urban areas tends to orignate in main roads and deposit in garden soils through the atmosphere and residential roads. The heavy metal contamination in Seoul is characteristic in areas with high population, factory, road, and traffic decsities. Heavy metal contents are high in the vicinity of smelters in Onsan area and are decayed to background levels from one kilometer away from the smelters.

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Full Mouth Rehabilitation (완전 구강 회복술)

  • Lee, Seung-Kyu;Lee, Sung-Bok;Kwon, Kung-Rock;Choi, Dae-Gyun
    • Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.171-185
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    • 2000
  • The treatment objectives of the complete oral rehabilitation are : (1) comfortably functioning temporomandibular joints and stomatognathic musculature, (2) adherence to the basic principle of occlusion advocated by Schuyler, (3) anterior guidance that is in harmony with the envelope of function, (4) restorations that will not violate the patient's neutral zone. There may be many roads to achieving these objectives, but they all convey varing degrees of stress and strain on the dentist and patient. There are no "easy" cases of oral rehabilitation. Time must be taken to think, time must be taken to plan, and time must be taken to perform, since time is the critical element in both success and failure. Moreover, a systematized and integrated approach will lead to a prognosis that is favorable and predictable. This approach facilitates development of optimum oral function, comfort, and esthetics, resulting in a satisfied patient. Such a systematized approach consists of four logical phase : (1) patient evaluation, (2) comprehensive analysis and treatment planning, (3) integrated and systematic reconstruction, and (4) postoperative maintenance. Firstly, we must evaluate the mandibular position. The results of a repetitive, unstrained, nondeflective, nonmanipulated mandibular closure into complete maxillomandibular intercuspation is not so much a "centric" occlusion as it is a stable occlusion. Accordingly, we ought to concern ourselves less with mandibular centricity and more with mandibular stability, which actually is the relationship we are trying to establish. The key to this stability is intercuspal precision. Once neuromuscular passivity has been achieved during an appropriate period of occlusal adjustment and provisionalization, subsequent intercuspal precision becomes the controlling factors in maintaining a stable mandibular position. Secondly, we must evaluate the planned vertical dimension of occlusion in relationship to what may now be an altered(generally diminished), and avoid the hazard of using such an abnormal position to indicate ultimate occlusal contacting points. There are no hard and fast rules to follow, no formulas, and no precise ratios between the vertical dimension of occlusion. Like centric relation, it is an area, not a point.

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The Characteristics of Flexibility applied to Unit Plan of Housing by Residents Participation - focusing on European Multi-story Housing applying Residents Participation - (거주자 참여형 공동주거의 평면계획에 적용된 가변성의 특성 - 유럽의 거주자 참여형 다층 공동주거를 중심으로 -)

  • Kim, Hyun-Ju
    • Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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    • v.34 no.11
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    • pp.113-123
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    • 2018
  • First of all, the multi-story Housing applying resident's participation in europe was classified by the menu selection method, the two-step supply method and the cooperative method. And then I analyzed flexible unit plan of cases for deriving the planning methode and the characteristics of flexibility. First, I analyzed the area and form of the unit plan, structure and Installation, fixed and variable elements to derive the planning method. The area of units are distributed from a minimum of $35m^2$ to a maximum of $150m^2$, and many of the unit planes have a narrow front and a deep depth. The structure is a long-span wall-structure or a skeleton structure, and is designed without any columns and bearing walls in the interior space for flexibility in spatial composition. The vertical shafts are located in the center of the unit in a box-form or in the corner at the unit dividing wall for free placement of interior wall. Fixed elements are framework and facility systems. Most of the future residents in the two-steps supply method and the cooperative method were able to freely design the internal space within the zoning concept proposed by the architect and change the location of the facade element within module system proposed by the architect. Second, the characteristics of the flexibility applied to the unit plan were divided in integrated flexibility, functional flexibility, construction flexibility, and supply flexibility. The integrated flexibility enables residents to give the variable space combination based on the complex structure of the inner space for providing various living experiences. Regarding functional flexibility, the three-dimensional spatial structure with neutral space has multi-functionality according to the needs of residents and easily accepts mixing of hybrid programs such as work and residence. Constructive flexibility allows residents to create identity by freely planning interior space and changing the size or location of facade components in a determined system of architects. Finally, various types of size and space composition are proposed and realized in the whole building applying menu selection method, so that flexibility in the offer can accommodate and integrate various types of living.

Stiffness Reduction Effect of Vertically Divided Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls Under Cyclic Loading (반복하중을 받는 수직분할된 철근콘크리트 전단벽의 강성저감효과)

  • Hwangbo, Dong-Sun;Son, Dong-Hee;Bae, Baek-Il;Choi, Chang-Sik
    • Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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    • v.26 no.3
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    • pp.103-110
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    • 2022
  • The purpose of this study is to experimentally evaluate the stiffness and strength reduction according to the reinforcing bar details of the vertically divided reinforced concrete shear walls. To confirm the effect of reducing strength and stiffness according to vertical division, four real-scale specimens were fabricated and repeated lateral loading tests were performed. As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that the strength and stiffness were decreased according to the vertical division. In particular, as the stiffness reduction rate is greater than the strength reduction rate, it is expected that safety against extreme strength can be secured when the load is redistributed according to vertical division. As a result of checking the crack pattern, a diagonal crack occurred in the wall subjected to compression control among the divided walls. It was confirmed that two neutral axes occurred after division, and the reversed strain distribution appeared in the upper part, showing the double curvature pattern. In future studies, it is necessary to evaluate the stiffness reduction rate considering the effective height of the wall, to evaluate additional variables such as wall aspect ratio, and to conduct analytical studies on various walls using finite element analysis.

Characterization of the Behavior of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Elements in the Groundwater within the Chiaksan Gneiss Complex : Focusing on the Mineralogical Interpretation of Artificial Weathering Experiments (치악산 편마암 지질의 지하수 내 자연 방사성 원소의 거동 특성 연구: 인공풍화 실험을 통한 광물학적 해석)

  • Woo-Chun Lee;Sang-Woo Lee;Hyeong-Gyu Kim;Do-Hwan Jeong;Moon-Su Kim;Hyun-Koo Kim;Soon-Oh Kim
    • Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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    • v.36 no.4
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    • pp.289-302
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    • 2023
  • The study area was Gangnim-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do, composed of the Chiaksan gneiss complex, and it was revealed that the concentrations of uranium (U) and thorium (Th) within the groundwater of the study area exceeded their water quality standards. Hence, artificial weathering experiments were conducted to elucidate mineralogically the mechanisms of their leaching using drilling cores obtained from the corresponding groundwater aquifers. First of all, the mineralogical compositions of core samples were observed, and the results indicated that the content of clinochlore, a member of the chlorite group of minerals that can form through low- and intermediate-temperature metamorphisms, was relatively higher. In addition, the Th concentration was measured ten times higher than that of U. The results of artificial weathering experiments suggested that the Th concentrations gradually increased through the dissolution of radioactive-element-bearing minerals up to the first day, and then they tended to decrease. It could be attributed to the fact that Th was leached with the dissolution of thorite, which might be a secondary mineral, and then dissolved Th was re-precipitated as the various forms of salt, such as sulfate. Even though the U content was lower than that of Th in the core samples, the U concentration was one hundred times higher than that of Th after the weathering experiments. It is likely caused by the gradual dissolution and desorption of U included in intensively weathered thorite or adsorbed as a form of UO22+ on the mineral surface. In addition, the leaching tendency of U and Th was positively correlated with the bicarbonate concentration. However, the concentrations between U and Th in groundwater exhibited a relatively lower correlation, which might result from the fact that they occurred from different sources, as aforementioned. Among various kinetic models, the parabolic diffusion and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were confirmed to best fit the dissolution kinetics of both elements. The period that would be taken for the U concentration to exceed its drinking-water standard was inferred using the regressed parameters of the best-fitted models, and the duration of 29.4 years was predicted in the neutral-pH aquifers with relatively higher concentrations of HCO3, indicating that U could be relatively quickly leached out into groundwater.

Activities of the Hydrolytic Enzymes Produced by Plant Pathogenic Fungi, Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia Sclerotinia and Sclerotiorum, and Helminthosporium sigmoideum var. irregulare (수종의 식물병원균(흰비단병균$\cdot$균핵병균 및 좀검은 균핵병균)이 생산하는 가수분해효소의 활성)

  • Cho B. H.;Kim K.
    • Korean journal of applied entomology
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    • v.16 no.4 s.33
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    • pp.199-208
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    • 1977
  • Activities of various hydrolytic enzymes produced by three plant pathogenic fungi, Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lieb.) deBary and Helminthosporium sigmoideum var. irregulare Crallery et Tullius, were measured. Activties and amounts of the enzymes in mycelia, cultural filtrates, and sclerotia(except of sclerotia of H. sigmoideum var. irregulare) were estimated at various pH levels in order to find out optimal pH for their enzymatic activities. Enzymes such as cellulase (ex), invertase, xylanase, $\beta-amylase$, polymethylgalacturonase, polygalacturonase, phosphatase and protease were estimated. Culture solution for production of enzymes was prepared by adding of 10g, D-glucose, 1.3g $NH_4NO_3,\; 0.5g\; MgSO_4,\;7H_2O,\; and\; 1.0g\; KH_2PO_4$ into 1 liter of potato decoction plus 2ml of micro element solution consisting of 0.2mg. Fe, 0.2mg Zn, and 0.1mg Mn as the sulphates into 1 liter of distilled water. All tested mycelia and cultural filtrates were obtained from the cultures incubarted in previous solution for ten days at $25^{\circ}C$, and sclerotia were harvested from PDA plates of 3. days old, The crude enzyme solutions were prepared according to the method of Miyazaki etal. Ten days after incubation, activities of Cx produced by Scl. sclerotiorum were higher than those of the other fung and each of Cx from three fungi showed different pH optima, such as S. rolfsii and Scl. schlerotiorum in acid side (around pH 3.0), H. sigmoideum var. irregulare in neutral side (around pH 6.3). Invertase activities of S. rolfsii were 20 times higher than those of the other fungi in all samples. All tested fungi, however, showed no significant difference between the enzymatic activities of their cultural filtrate and mycelia and the activities in sclerotia of S. rolfsii and Scl. sclerotiorum were hardly recognized. There were multiple peaks on the xylanase activity curves of three fungi in terms of pH values. High activities of the xylanase were revealed in sclerotia of S. rolfsii and Scl. sclerotiorum, and in mycelia of H. sigmoideum var. irregulare. The highest activities of $\beta-amylase$ were shown both in mycelia and cultural filtrate of H. sigmoideum var. irregulae among the tested fungi, and their optimal pH was 6.2 in both mycelia and cultural filtrate. In the S. rofsii and Sel. sclerotiorum, however, the activities of cultural filtrates were higher than those of the other fungi, and optimal pH was 3.0 and 6.2 for cultural filtrate and both mycelia and sclerotia, respectively. Activities of PMG were high in cultural filtrates of all tested fungi, especially in Scl. sclerotiorum and H. sigmoideum var. irregulare. Mycelia of themalso showed the considerable activities. Optimal pH for enzymatic activities were variable with thekind of fungi or with the samples measured. The highest activities of PG were presented by mycelia of S. rolfsii and Scl. sclerotiorum. $9.l\mu /min.\; and\; 9.5\mu g/min.$, respectively. Optimal pH for activity of PG in mycelia was around 4.5 in S. rolfsii and around 3.0 in Scl. sclerotiorum. Phosphatase of S. rolfsii and Scl. sclerotiorum was more active in acid side (optimal PH3. 5) and that of H. sigmoideum var. irregulare showed one peak each in acid, neutral and alkaline side. But the highest peak was at pH 9.5. Protease of all tested fungi was more active at pH 10.0, especially that of the cultural filtrate of H. sigmoideum var. irregualre.

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Affective Effect of Video Playback Style and its Assessment Tool Development (영상의 재생 스타일에 따른 감성적 효과와 감성 평가 도구의 개발)

  • Jeong, Kyeong Ah;Suk, Hyeon-Jeong
    • Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.103-120
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    • 2016
  • This study investigated how video playback styles affect viewers' emotional responses to a video and then suggested emotion assessment tool for playback-edited videos. The study involved two in-lab experiments. In the first experiment, observers were asked to express their feelings while watching videos in both original playback and articulated playback simultaneously. By controlling the speed, direction, and continuity, total of twelve playback styles were created. Each of the twelve playback styles were applied to five kinds of original videos that contains happy, anger, sad, relaxed, and neutral emotion. Thirty college students participated and more than 3,800 words were collected. The collected words were comprised of 899 kinds of emotion terms, and these emotion terms were classified into 52 emotion categories. The second experiment was conducted to develop proper emotion assessment tool for playback-edited video. Total of 38 emotion terms, which were extracted from 899 emotion terms, were employed from the first experiment and used as a scales (given in Korean and scored on a 5-point Likert scale) to assess the affective quality of pre-made video materials. The total of eleven pre-made commercial videos which applied different playback styles were collected. The videos were transformed to initial (un-edited) condition, and participants were evaluated pre-made videos by comparing initial condition videos simultaneously. Thirty college students evaluated playback-edited video in the second study. Based on the judgements, four factors were extracted through the factor analysis, and they were labelled "Happy", "Sad", "Reflective" and "Weird (funny and at the same time weird)." Differently from conventional emotion framework, the positivity and negativity of the valence dimension were independently treated, while the arousal aspect was marginally recognized. With four factors from the second experiment, finally emotion assessment tool for playback-edited video was proposed. The practical value and application of emotion assessment tool were also discussed.

Bundled Discounting of Healthcare Services and Restraint of Competition (의료서비스의 결합판매와 경쟁제한성의 판단 - Cascade Health 사건을 중심으로 -)

  • Jeong, Jae Hun
    • The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.175-209
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    • 2019
  • The bundled discounting which the dominant undertakings engage in is problematic in terms of competition restraint. Bundled discounts generally benefit not only buyers but also sellers. Specifically, bundled discounts usually costs a firm less to sell multiple products. In addition, Bundled discounts always provide some immediate consumer benefit in the form of lower prices. Therefore, competition authorities and courts should not be too quick to condemn bundled discounts and apply the neutral and objective standard in bundled discounting cases. Cascade Health v. Peacehealth decision starts ruling from this prerequisite. This decision pointed out that the dominant undertaking can exclude rivals through bundled discounting without pricing its products below its cost when rivals do not sell as great a number of product lines. So bundled discounting may have the anticompetitive impact by excluding less diversified but more efficient producers. This decision did not adopt Lepage case's standard which does not require the court to consider whether the competitor was at least as efficient of a producer as the bundled discounter. Instead of that, based on cost based approach, this decision said that the exclusionary element can not be satisfied unless the discounts result in prices that are below an appropriate measures of the defendant's costs. By adopting a discount attribution standard, this decision said that the full amount of the discounts should be allocated to the competitive products. As the seller can easily ascertain its own prices and costs of production and calculate whether its discounting practices exclude competitors, not the competitor's costs but the dominant undertaking's costs should be considered in applying discount attribution standard. This case deals with bundled discounting practice of multiple healthcare services by the dominant undertaking in healthcare market. Under the Korean healthcare system and public health insurance system, the price competition primarily exists in non-medical care benefits because public healthcare insurance in Korea is in combination with the compulsory medical care institution system. The cases that Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Law deals with, such as cartel and the abuse of monopoly power, also mainly exist in non-medical care benefits. The dominant undertaking's exclusionary bundled discounting in Korean healthcare markets may be practiced in the contracts between the dominant undertaking and private insurance companies with regards to non-medical care benefits.