• Title/Summary/Keyword: no reference

Search Result 2,206, Processing Time 0.031 seconds

AN ANATOMICAL STUDY OF THE MANDIBULAR RAMUS IN KOREAN PATIENTS WITH DENTOFACIAL DEFORMITY (한국인 악안면 기형환자의 하악골 상행지에 관한 해부학적 연구)

  • Kim, Gi-Jung;Lee, Eui-Wung
    • Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
    • /
    • v.27 no.3
    • /
    • pp.193-203
    • /
    • 2001
  • Orthognathic surgery of the mandibular prognathism and the retrognathism is tend to be performed on the mandibular ramus to prevent inferor alveolar nerve injuries. The purpose of this study is to find a safe and accurate reference point on mandibular ramus for orthognathic surgery by comparative anatomical study of dentofacial deformity patients. We use 38 Korean Cadavers with normal occlusion(Group 1), 3-dimensional simulation of computerized tomogram of 23 patients with retrognathism (Group 2), 27 patients with mandibular prognathism (Group 3). Following results are obtained : 1. The maximum thickness of the mandibular ramus is $8.78{\pm}1.15mm$ for Group 2, $7.61{\pm}1.26mm$ for Group 1, $6.95{\pm}0.82mm$ for Group3 respectively (P=0001). The minimum thickness is $5.51{\pm}1.08mm$ for Group 1, $5.06{\pm}0.40mm$ for Group 2, $4.56{\pm}0.78mm$ for Group3, respectively (p=0.0001). But, the thickness at the level of 5mm above the lingular is $0.78{\pm}0.65mm$ for Group 2, $5.63{\pm}1.28mm$ for Group 1, $5.32{\pm}0.91mm$ for Group 3, respectively. There is no significant difference between these groups(P=0.0510). 2. The horizontal location from the midwaist point to lingular is $0.18{\pm}1.57mm$ for Group 1, $0.69{\pm}1.33mm$ for Group 2, $0.66{\pm}1.66mm$ for Group 3, and there is no significant difference between these groups(p=0.0835). But the vertical location from the midwaist point to lingular is $1.45{\pm}2.64mm$ for Group 1, $0.63{\pm}1.44mm$ for Group 2, $0.34{\pm}1.81mm$ for Group 3, and there is significant difference between these groups(p=0.0030). 3. The horizontal location from the midwaist point to mandibular foramen is $0.29{\pm}1.75mm$ for Group 1, $0.63{\pm}1.44mm$ for Group 2, $0.34{\pm}1.81mm$ for Group 3, and there is no significant difference between these groups(p=0.5403). But the vertical location from the midwaist point to mandibular foramen is $-3.33{\pm}4.43mm$ for Group1, $-4.79{\pm}2.26mm$ for Group 2, $-6.06{\pm}2.99mm$ for Group 3, and there is significant difference between these groups(P=0.0001). 4. The horizontal length from the disto-buccal cusp tip of mandibular second molar to lingula is $30.97{\pm}4.17mm$ for Group 3, $28.29{\pm}2.65mm$ for Group 1, $25.48{\pm}0.77mm$ for Group 2 (p=0.0000), and also vertical length is $7.72{\pm}3.22mm$ for Group 3, $6.38{\pm}1.83mm$ for Group 1, $5.89{\pm}2.30mm$ for Group 2 (P=0.0014). 5. The location of lingular is 0.50 from anterior border of mandibular ramus in all groups, if it assumed the length from anterior border to posterior border is 1. And it is almost 0.33 from the sigmoid notch, if it assumed the length from sigmoid notch to antegonial notch is 1. 6. In Group 1, Antilingular prominence is located on ($1.12{\pm}1.43mm,\;4.01{\pm}2.36mm$) from the midwaist point, and there is no correlation between antilingular prominence and lingular, mandibular foramen.

  • PDF

Reconsideration on the Place Name of the Scenic Site No.1 「Myeongju Cheonghak-dong Sogumgang」 (명승 제1호 「명주 청학동 소금강」에 대한 지명 재고(再考))

  • Rho, Jae-Hyun;Kim, Hyun
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
    • /
    • v.32 no.4
    • /
    • pp.1-13
    • /
    • 2014
  • As part of reconsideration on naming of the scenic site No.1 "Myeongju Cheonghak-dong Sogumgang," this study attempts to identify whether there is any mistake with reference to place naming of Korea's No.1 scenic site and if so, to correct the problem by examining the origin of the name and its transition progress through analysis and interpretation of old maps, ancient documents such as traditional geographic books, Yusangi(遊山記) and Letters Carved on the Rocks. The findings of this study are as follows: In traditional geographic books, a term of 'Mt. Cheonghak(靑鶴山)' was first found from "SinjungDonggookyeojisungram(新增東國輿地勝覽)" and after a place name, 'Sogumgang(小金剛)' first appeared in "Yeojidoseo(輿地圖書)" in the middle of the 17th century, it was reproduced in "Jungsuimyeongji(增修臨瀛誌)", which was published in the early 20th century. However, as a result of analyzing old maps, the place name, Sogumgang cannot be found in any local or national map except place names such as Cheonghak-dong, Mt. Cheonghak and Temple Cheonghak. Even though 'Biseonam,' 'Cheonyudong,' 'Gyeongdam' and 'Mt. Cheonghak' appear in Yulgok's "Yucheonghaksangi(遊靑鶴山記)", any part in which 'Sogumgang' was referred is not found. Later, Cheonghak-dong Sogumgang seemed to had been called 'Mt. Cheonghak' or 'Cheonghak-dong(靑鶴洞)' for more than three centuries as seen in Lee Sun-il's "Godamilgo(孤潭逸稿)", Heo Geun's farewell records, Heo Mok's "Cheonghak-dong Guryongyeongi(靑鶴洞九龍淵記)", Yoon Sun-geo(尹宣擧)'s "Padongilgi(巴東日記)" and Lee Won-jo's letters and a poem composed by Gang Jae-hang in the middle of the 18th century is the only record in which the place name, 'Sogumgang' is shown. Meanwhile, 'Sogumgang' carved on Inung Rock(二能巖) in front of Temple Gumgang is presumed to be carved by Inunggyeoone(二能契員) in the 1870s or in 1930s, considering the size of each character, calligraphy, overall layout, wear extent and records in Jiriji. Therefore, no evidence can be found to say that each character of 'Sogumgang' was written by Yulgok because 'Sogumgang' has strong evidences of the origin of its place name. To sum up the findings stated above, since Yulgok's "Yucheonghaksangi", this place seems to have been referred as 'Mt. Cheonghak Cheonghak-dong' and as it is confirmed that the place name, 'Sogumgang' first appeared in "Ohyeongosijo(五言古時調)" of "Ibjaeseonsangyugo(立齋先生遺稿)" and "Yeojidoseo" in the middle of the 18th century, it can be inferred that the place name, Sogumgang had been partly mingled as an another name of Mt. Cheonghak. Therefore, even though it is difficult to say the existing place name has a significant problem, it is thought that it will be better to name 'Mt. Cheonghak Cheonghak-dong' rather than 'Cheonghak-dong Sogumgang' in order to stress on this place's traditional identity as a scenic site related to Yulgok. In addition, as confirmed in this study process, it is said that each character of place names, 'Mt. Cheonghak' and 'Gyeongdam(鏡潭)' and name 'Yoon Sun-geo' carved in Rock Sikdang stated in Yoon Sun-geo's "Padongilgi" in 1964 is a pledge showing the influence of "Yucheonghaksangi" as an ancient travel literature as well as a mark of the Giho school scholars' respect and spirit to honor Yulgok.

Methodological Comparison of the Quantification of Total Carbon and Organic Carbon in Marine Sediment (해양 퇴적물내 총탄소 및 유기탄소의 분석기법 고찰)

  • Kim, Kyeong-Hong;Son, Seung-Kyu;Son, Ju-Won;Ju, Se-Jong
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
    • /
    • v.9 no.4
    • /
    • pp.235-242
    • /
    • 2006
  • The precise estimation of total and organic carbon contents in sediments is fundamental to understand the benthic environment. To test the precision and accuracy of CHN analyzer and the procedure to quantify total and organic carbon contents(using in-situ acidification with sulfurous acid($H_2SO_3$)) in the sediment, the reference material s such as Acetanilide($C_8H_9NO$), Sulfanilammide($C_6H_8N_2O_2S$), and BCSS-1(standard estuary sediment) were used. The results indicate that CHN analyzer to quantify carbon and nitrogen content has high precision(percent error=3.29%) and accuracy(relative standard deviation=1.26%). Additionally, we conducted the instrumental comparison of carbon values analyzed using CHN analyzer and Coulometeric Carbon Analyzer. Total carbon contents measured from two different instruments were highly correlated($R^2=0.9993$, n=84, p<0.0001) with a linear relationship and show no significant differences(paired t-test, p=0.0003). The organic carbon contents from two instruments also showed the similar results with a significant linear relationship($R^2=0.8867$, n=84, p<0.0001) and no significant differences(paired t-test, p<0.0001). Although it is possible to overestimate organic carbon contents for some sediment types having high inorganic carbon contents(such as calcareous ooze) due to procedural and analytical errors, analysis of organic carbon contents in sediments using CHN Analyzer and current procedures seems to provide the best estimates. Therefore, we recommend that this method can be applied to measure the carbon content in normal any sediment samples and are considered to be one of the best procedure far routine analysis of total and organic carbon.

  • PDF

MORPHOLOGIC STUDY FOR SAGITTAL SPLIT RAMUS OSTEOTOMY USING 3-D IMAGE IN MANDIBULAR PROGNATHISM (하악전돌자에서 3차원영상을 이용한 하악지시상분할골절단술과 관련된 하악골의 해부학적 연구)

  • Park, Chung-Ryoul;Kook, Min-Suk;Park, Hong-Ju;Oh, Hee-Kyun
    • Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
    • /
    • v.27 no.4
    • /
    • pp.350-359
    • /
    • 2005
  • Sagittal split ramus osteotomy(SSRO) has been commonly performed in the mandibular prognathism. The previous studies of the mandibular anatomy for SSRO have mostly been used in dry skull without consideration of age, sex or jaw relationship of patients. This study was performed to evaluate the location of mandibular canal and the anatomy of ramus, such as the location of mandibular lingula and the ramal bone marrow, which were associated with SSRO procedures, in the patients with mandibular prognathism and normal young adults by using computerized tomographs(CT) and 3D images. The young adults at their twenties, who were considered to complete their skeletal growth, and seen in the Department of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Chonnam National University Hospital between March 2000 and May 2003, were selected. This study was performed in 30 patients (15men, 15women) who were diagnosed as skeletal class I normal relationship, and another 30 patients (15men, 15women) who were diagnosed as skeletal class III relationship upon clinical examination and lateral cephalometric radiographs. The patients were divided into 2 groups : Class I group, the patients who had skeletal class Ⅰ normal relationship(n=30, 15men, 15women), and Class III group, the patients who had skeletal class III relationship(n=30, 15men, 15women). Facial CT was taken in all patients, and pure 3D mandibular model was constructed by V-works version 4.0. The occlusal plane was designed by three points, such as the mesiobuccal cusp of both mandibular 1st molar and the incisal edge of the right mandibular central incisor, and used as a reference plane. Distances between the tip of mandibular lingula and the occlusal plane, the sigmoid notch, the anterior and the posterior borders of ramus were measured. The height of ramal bone marrow from the occlusal plane and the distance between mid-point of mandibular canal and the buccal or lingual cortex of the mandible in the 1st and 2nd molars were measured by V-works version 4.0. Distance(Li-OP) between the occlusal plane and the tip of mandibular lingula of Class III Group was longer than that of Class I Group in men(p<0.01), but there was no significant difference in women between both groups. Distance(Li-SN) between the sigmoid notch and the tip of mandibular ligula of Class III group was longer than that of Class I Group in men(p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in women between both groups. Distance(Li-RA) between the anterior border of ramus and the tip of mandibular lingula of Class III Group was shorter than that of Class I Group in men and women(p<0.01). Distance(Li-RP) between the posterior border of ramus and the tip of mandibular lingula of Class III Group was slightly shorter than that of Class I Group in men(p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in women between both groups. Distance(RA-RP) between the anterior and the posterior borders of ramus of Class III Group was shorter than that of Class I Group in men and women(p<0.01). Longer the distance(SN-AN) between the sigmoid notch and the antegonial notch was, longer the vertical ramal length above occlusal plane, higher the location of mandibular lingula, and shorter the antero-posterior ramal length were observed(p<0.01). Height of ramal bone marrow of Class III Group was higher than that of Class I Group in men and women(p<0.01). Distance between mandibular canal and buccal cortex of Class III Group in 1st and 2nd lower molars was shorter than that of Class I Group in men and women (p<0.05 in 1st lower molar in men, p<0.01 in others). These results indicate that there are some anatomical differences between the normal occlusal patients and the mandibular prognathic patients, such as the anterior-posterior length of ramus, the height of ramal bone marrow, and the location of mandibular canal.

Structural Characteristics and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Chemically Sulfated-hyaluronic Acid from Streptococcus dysgalactiae (Streptococcus dysgalactiae로부터 분리된 히알루론산과 황화된 유도체의 구조와 항염증 활성)

  • Hong, Chang-Il;Jung, Eui-Gil;Han, Kook-Il;Kim, Yong Hyun;Lee, Sung Hee;Lee, Hong Sub;Han, Man-Deuk
    • Journal of Life Science
    • /
    • v.26 no.5
    • /
    • pp.545-554
    • /
    • 2016
  • Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an important macromolecule in medical and pharmaceutical fields. HA is a natural and linear polymer composed of repeating disaccharide units of β-1, 3-N-acetyl glucosamine and β-1, 4-glucuronic acid. This work aimed to confirm the structural characteristics and anti-inflammatory activities of HA and its chemically sulfated-HA. HA was produced from a fed-batch fermentation process using Streptococcus dysgalactiae in a 5 l bioreactor. HA was isolated water-soluble form (HA-WS) and water-insoluble form (HA-WI) from culture medium, and was obtained chemically sulfated-derivative (S-HA) that resulted in a 90% yield from HA-WI. The structural features of the sulfated- HA (S-HA) were investigated by FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The FT-IR and NMR patterns revealed the similarity in both the FTIR spectrum as well as NMR spectrum of both reference standard and purified HA from S. dysgalactiae. The anti-inflammatory activities of HA and S-HA were examined on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. S-HA was significantly inhibited production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and PGE2 and the gene levels of iNOS and COX-2, which are responsible for the production of NO and PGE2, respectively. Furthermore, S-HA also suppressed the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (<80 pg/ml) and IL-6 (<100 pg/ml) compared to that of HA-WI. The present study clearly demonstrates that HA-S exhibits anti-inflammatory activities in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.

Japanese Medaka, Oryzias latipes as a Test Animal for Marine Ecotoxicological Evaluation (해양생태독성평가를 위한 표준시험생물로서의 송사리(Oryzias latipes)에 관한 연구)

  • Park Gyung Soo;Yoon Seong Jin;Lee Seung Min;Kim Ae Hyang;Park Soung Yun;Kang Duk Young
    • Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
    • /
    • v.23 no.3 s.59
    • /
    • pp.293-303
    • /
    • 2005
  • Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes is widely distributed in the North East Asia including Korea, Japan and east China, and commonly used for freshwater toxicity tests and cytotoxicological studies worldwide. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted to identify the potential of the fish as a standard test species for saltwater toxicity evaluation such as marine receiving waters, ocean-dumped materials and sediment pore waters etc. Hatching, growth and mortality rates of the fish were estimated with the wide ranges of salinity from freshwater to seawater (35 psu). Direct exposure of the fertilized eggs in freshwater to the wide ranges of salinity (from 0 to 35 psu) without pre- acclimation to the saltwater revealed no significant differences in hatching rates by salinities (p =0.24). On the other hand, medaka larvae hatched in freshwater and exposed to saltwater directly showed high mortality at > 25 psu treatment groups (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in mortality of medaka larvae hatched in 13.8 and 14.2 psu at the wide ranges of salinities ($0\~35$ psu). Growth rates of medaka larvae hatched in the above two salinities showed no differences in body length either from 0 to 35 psu treatment groups (p =0.64 for 13.8 psu group and p=0.32 for 14.2 psu group). The number of gill chloride cell in medaka larvae sharply increased when the larvae were exposed to high salinity. Reference tests with zinc chloride revealed 96h $LC_{50}=8.84(7.19\~10.87)mg\;L^{-1}$ using 7~10 day old medaka larvae. These were comparable or better sensitivity in comparison with the other standard test species such as North American sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus. Based on the results of these experiments, hatching rates and larvalmortality of medaka must be good toxicity parameters for seawater bioassay and the species seems to be a good standard species for both the freshwater and seawater toxicity test.

Serum cholinesterase activities and serum bromide concentrations in farmers (농업인에서의 체내 잔류농약 검출)

  • Choi, Soo-Jin;Hwang, Sang-Hyun;Chun, Sa-Il;Min, Won-Ki;Lee, Seon-Ho;Kim, Sung-Ryul;Kim, Young-Sik;SunWoo, Sung;Jun, Tae-Hee;Chung, Tae-Heum
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
    • /
    • v.23 no.2
    • /
    • pp.305-310
    • /
    • 1998
  • The usage or agricultural chemicals is on the increasing tendency. Methyl bromide and organophosphate are the most widely used toxic agricultural chemicals in Korea. We try to set up the methods to detect the accumulation of these chemicals in Korean farmers. Blood samples were collected for 121 farmers of slack's season in February 1998. And survey about arable acreage and usage of the gloves and masks was also performed. Serum cholinesterase activities and bromide concentrations were measured with gold chloride method and colorimetric method. The reference ranges of serum cholinesterase activity and bromide concentration were 1.6~15.9 U/mL and below $72.9{\mu}g/mL$. Serum bromide concentrations of farmers and normal controls showed no differences. Serum cholinesterase activities of farmers were significantly higher than those of normal controls. According to the arable acreages and usage of the gloves and masks, serum bromide concentrations and cholinesterase activities showed no differences. In conclusion, serum cholinesterase activities and bromide concentrations showed no differences between farmers of slack's season and normal controls.

  • PDF

Outcomes in Relation to Time of Tracheostomy in Patients with Mechanical Ventilation (기계호흡환자의 기관절개 시행 시기에 따른 결과 분석)

  • Shin, Jeong-Eun;Shin, Tae-Rim;Park, Young-Mi;Nam, Jun-Sik;Cheon, Seon-Hee;Chang, Jung-Hyun
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
    • /
    • v.47 no.3
    • /
    • pp.365-373
    • /
    • 1999
  • Background: Despite widespread use of tracheostomy in intensive care unit, it is still controversial to define the best timing from endotracheal intubation to tracheostomy under prolonged mechanical ventilation. Early tracheostomy has an advantage of easy airway maintenance and enhanced patient mobility whereas a disadvantage in view of nosocomial infection and tracheal stenosis. However, there is a controversy about the proper timing of tracheostomy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of the 35 medical and 15 surgical ICU patients who had admitted to Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital from January 1996 to August 1998 with the observation of APACHE III score, occurrence of nosocomial infections, and clinical outcomes during 28 days from tracheostomy in terms of early (n=25) vs. late (n=25) tracheostomy. We defined the reference day of early and late tracheostomy as 7th day from intubation. Results: The number of patients were 25 each in early and late tracheostomy group. The mean age were $48{\pm}18$ years in early tracheostomy group and $63{\pm}17$ years in late tracheostomy group, showing younger in early tracheostomy group. The median duration of intubation prior to tracheostomy was 3 days and 13 days in early and late tracheostomy groups. Organs that caused primary problem were nervous system in 27 cases(54%), pulmonary 14(28%), cardiovascular 4(8%), gastrointestinal 4(8%) and genitourinary 1(2%) in the decreasing order. Prolonged ventilation was the most common reason for the purpose of tracheostomy in both groups. APACHE m scores at each time of intubation and tracheostomy were slightly higher in late tracheostomy group but not significant statistically. Day to day APACHE III scores were not different between two groups with observation upto 7th day after tracheostomy, Occurrence of nosocomial infections, weaning from mechanical ventilation, and mortality showed no significant difference between two groups with observation of 28 days from tracheostomy. The mortality was increased as the APACHE m score upto 7 days after tracheostomy increased, but there were no increment for the mortality in terms of the time of tracheostomy and the days of ventilator use before tracheostomy, Conclusion: The early tracheostomy seems to have no benefit with respect to severity of illness, nosocomial infection, duration of ventilatory support, and mortality. It suggests that the time of tracheostomy is better to be decided on clinical judgement in each case. And in near future, prospective, randomized case-control study is required to confirm these results.

  • PDF

The Effect of Exercise Program for Prevention of Falling on Physical Fitness, Posture and Fall Prevention Self-Efficacy for Elderly Women (넘어짐 예방 운동이 여성노인의 체력, 자세, 낙상효능감에 미치는 영향)

  • Son, Nam Jeong;Yi, Kyung Ock;An, Ju Yeun
    • 한국노년학
    • /
    • v.37 no.1
    • /
    • pp.237-250
    • /
    • 2017
  • The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of exercise program for prevention of falling on physical fitness, posture and fall prevention self-efficacy for elderly women. 30 females above the age of 65 were subjects for this study. Over an twelve week period, 14women in the experimental group performed exercise 2 times a week for 60 minutes per session. 16women in the control group didn't participate in the exercise program. The independent variable was a exercise program for prevention of falling. Dependent variables were physical fitness, posture and fall prevention self-efficacy. Prevention of falling exercise program is consisted of an elastic band using exercise and Korean dance movement exercise. Physical fitness consisted of grip strength, upper and lower body endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, balance, coordination. The posture was measured the static posture when standing, using a high-resolution camera, body style to automatically measure the distance and angle(M-zen, Korea). Posture was measured in both the coronal and sagittal plane via reference board. Fall prevention self-efficacy was measured via questionnaire using the Korea Falls Self-Efficacy Scale (FES-K). The physical fitness, posture and fall prevention self-efficacy were measured twice with pre and post exercise, and the difference between groups with Wilcox signed rank test, and the group-specific post verification was carried out with U-validated methods (Mann Whitney U test). Statistical significance level was verified by setting the p<.05. Lower body endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination significantly increased in the experimental group. The control group was no significant increase in physical fitness variables. shoulder slope angle, pelvic slope angle(coronal/sagittal), leg length difference, scapular inferior angle and left/right calcaneus angle significantly decreased in the experimental group. Both the experimental group and control group were no significant increase in fall prevention self efficacy. The prevention of falling exercise program for elderly women indicated the positive changes in physical fitness(except grip strength) and posture(except upper body slope). However, there are no significant differences of falling prevention self-efficacy between the both group. Thus, the prevention of falling exercise program for the elderly has been proved that it is highly efficient on improving physical fitness and posture proofreading. However, we still need to consider supplement exercise for grip strength and upper body slope.

Mature Market Sub-segmentation and Its Evaluation by the Degree of Homogeneity (동질도 평가를 통한 실버세대 세분군 분류 및 평가)

  • Bae, Jae-ho
    • Journal of Distribution Science
    • /
    • v.8 no.3
    • /
    • pp.27-35
    • /
    • 2010
  • As the population, buying power, and intensity of self-expression of the elderly generation increase, its importance as a market segment is also growing. Therefore, the mass marketing strategy for the elderly generation must be changed to a micro-marketing strategy based on the results of sub-segmentation that suitably captures the characteristics of this generation. Furthermore, as a customer access strategy is decided by sub-segmentation, proper segmentation is one of the key success factors for micro-marketing. Segments or sub-segments are different from sectors, because segmentation or sub-segmentation for micro-marketing is based on the homogeneity of customer needs. Theoretically, complete segmentation would reveal a single voice. However, it is impossible to achieve complete segmentation because of economic factors, factors that affect effectiveness, etc. To obtain a single voice from a segment, we sometimes need to divide it into many individual cases. In such a case, there would be a many segments to deal with. On the other hand, to maximize market access performance, fewer segments are preferred. In this paper, we use the term "sub-segmentation" instead of "segmentation," because we divide a specific segment into more detailed segments. To sub-segment the elderly generation, this paper takes their lifestyles and life stages into consideration. In order to reflect these aspects, various surveys and several rounds of expert interviews and focused group interviews (FGIs) were performed. Using the results of these qualitative surveys, we can define six sub-segments of the elderly generation. This paper uses five rules to divide the elderly generation. The five rules are (1) mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive (MECE) sub-segmentation, (2) important life stages, (3) notable lifestyles, (4) minimum number of and easy classifiable sub-segments, and (5) significant difference in voices among the sub-segments. The most critical point for dividing the elderly market is whether children are married. The other points are source of income, gender, and occupation. In this paper, the elderly market is divided into six sub-segments. As mentioned, the number of sub-segments is a very key point for a successful marketing approach. Too many sub-segments would lead to narrow substantiality or lack of actionability. On the other hand, too few sub-segments would have no effects. Therefore, the creation of the optimum number of sub-segments is a critical problem faced by marketers. This paper presents a method of evaluating the fitness of sub-segments that was deduced from the preceding surveys. The presented method uses the degree of homogeneity (DoH) to measure the adequacy of sub-segments. This measure uses quantitative survey questions to calculate adequacy. The ratio of significantly homogeneous questions to the total numbers of survey questions indicates the DoH. A significantly homogeneous question is defined as a question in which one case is selected significantly more often than others. To show whether a case is selected significantly more often than others, we use a hypothesis test. In this case, the null hypothesis (H0) would be that there is no significant difference between the selection of one case and that of the others. Thus, the total number of significantly homogeneous questions is the total number of cases in which the null hypothesis is rejected. To calculate the DoH, we conducted a quantitative survey (total sample size was 400, 60 questions, 4~5 cases for each question). The sample size of the first sub-segment-has no unmarried offspring and earns a living independently-is 113. The sample size of the second sub-segment-has no unmarried offspring and is economically supported by its offspring-is 57. The sample size of the third sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is employed and male-is 70. The sample size of the fourth sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is not employed and male-is 45. The sample size of the fifth sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is female and employed (either the female herself or her husband)-is 63. The sample size of the last sub-segment-has unmarried offspring and is female and not employed (not even the husband)-is 52. Statistically, the sample size of each sub-segment is sufficiently large. Therefore, we use the z-test for testing hypotheses. When the significance level is 0.05, the DoHs of the six sub-segments are 1.00, 0.95, 0.95, 0.87, 0.93, and 1.00, respectively. When the significance level is 0.01, the DoHs of the six sub-segments are 0.95, 0.87, 0.85, 0.80, 0.88, and 0.87, respectively. These results show that the first sub-segment is the most homogeneous category, while the fourth has more variety in terms of its needs. If the sample size is sufficiently large, more segmentation would be better in a given sub-segment. However, as the fourth sub-segment is smaller than the others, more detailed segmentation is not proceeded. A very critical point for a successful micro-marketing strategy is measuring the fit of a sub-segment. However, until now, there have been no robust rules for measuring fit. This paper presents a method of evaluating the fit of sub-segments. This method will be very helpful for deciding the adequacy of sub-segmentation. However, it has some limitations that prevent it from being robust. These limitations include the following: (1) the method is restricted to only quantitative questions; (2) the type of questions that must be involved in calculation pose difficulties; (3) DoH values depend on content formation. Despite these limitations, this paper has presented a useful method for conducting adequate sub-segmentation. We believe that the present method can be applied widely in many areas. Furthermore, the results of the sub-segmentation of the elderly generation can serve as a reference for mature marketing.

  • PDF