• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.173-197
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• 2015

The development of IT expanded the scale of e-commerce, and grew large Internet shopping malls. As having raised the consumers' interest in overseas direct purchase(ODP) recently, the number and purchasing amount of ODP are constantly increasing. However, consumers need to pay attention to the potential problems which might happen by consumer's damage and conflict, as increasing the consumption through ODP. Because consumer's damages on utilizing ODP happen to the reason such as the trust problem between business and consumer due to the way which traded non face to face, non-compliance of goods delivery, returns, and refunds, and information asymmetry of items, a large number of consumer's damages in a wide range are much more likely to occur nowadays. The purpose of this study is to analyze the current state of ODP, and propose consumer damage's reduction and policy of the government through pre or post scheme for consumer damage's relief and consumer protection. As the compensation for consumer damages is actually inadequate, this study proposed a feasible alternative to the adoption of e-commerce insurance for both aggressive compensation and protection for consumer's damages and risk transfer and sustainable development of e-commerce.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.228-236
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• 1996

An electrolysis system with a vertically circulating mercury capillary bundle electrode was developed with a very large electrode area in a minimum space. This system was operated by forcedly feeding mercury and aqueous solution containing metal ion into a fiber bundle packed densely within a small porous glass tube. In order to test the characteristics and stability of the electrolysis system, the reduction voltammograms of uranyl and ferric ions were measured with changes of the mercury flow rate and the aqueous flow rate. The aqueous flow rate had a large effect on the electrochemical reaction of metal ion occurring at the interface between the mercury and the aqueous solution and had to be regulated as an appropriate value to have a good limiting current shape. The limiting current was linearly proportional to the aqueous flow rate, and complete reductions of uranyl and ferric ions were rapidly and continuously accomplished at the potential showing limiting current. With a mercury flow rate high enough to keep a capillary continuum of mercury in the fiber bundle, the mercury flow rate had almost no effect on the electrochemical reaction. This system was confirmed to be effective and stable enough to control rapidly and continuously the oxidation state of metal ions fed into the system under an appropriate aqueous flow rate.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.4 no.3_4
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• pp.59-67
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• 1981

Stomatal resistances of the leaves in Heteromeres arbutifolia and of the stems in Ferocactus acanthodes were studied to estimate active and passive behaviors of the guard cells on a theoretical basis. Active and passive stomatal responses to light and water deficit were observed. When the change rate of existent water due to variation of osmotic potential in the guard cells and the loss rate of transpirational water from the guard cells are $\Delta$wi-$\Delta$wt and leaded to active behaviors for opening and closing stomata. However, when stems of F. acanthodes with stomata closecd under the solar irradiation were covered with black cloth and then taken off, behaviors of the guard cells occurred in the condition of $\Delta$wi<$\Delta$wt and were passive. Under the conditiion of $\Delta$wi<$\Delta$wt due to cutout from stems, passive behaviors of the guard cells in H. arbutifolia and F. acanthodes always occurred in spite of the solar irradiation and darkness, respectively. The transpirational resistance coefficients of the guard cells in stems of F. acanthodes (0.380) and Opuntia bigelovii (0.135) wer emuch higher than in leaves of H. arbutifolia (0.034). Moreover, stomatal opening in stems of F. acanthodes during the daytime could be induced by watering. Those results are interpreted as that since the guard cells in desert Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants always exist in the state of stomatal opening, nocturnal stomatal opening and daytime stomatal closing are exhibited by passive behaviors of the guard cells in the alternant conditioins of $\Delta$wi>$\Delta$wt and $\Delta$wi<$\Delta$wt, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.41.1-41.1
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• 2009

Aerosol Deposition (AD) is anovel way to fabricate bioactive ceramic coatings in biomedical implants and prostheses applications. In the present work, silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings on commercially pure titanium were prepared by aerosol deposition using Si-HA powders. The incorporation of silicon in the HA lattice is known to improve the bioactivity of the HA, makingsilicon-substitute HA an attractive alternative to pure HA in biomedical applications. Si-HA powders with the chemical formula $Ca_{10}(PO_4)_6-x(SiO_4)x(OH)_2-x$, having silicon contents up to x=0.5 (1.4 wt%), were synthesized by solid-state reaction of $Ca_2P_2O_7$, $CaCO_3$, and $SiO_2$. The Si-HA powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR). The corresponding coatings were also analyzed by XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The results revealed that a single-phase Si-HA was obtained without any secondary phases such as $\alpha$- or $\beta$-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) for both the powders and the coatings.The Si-HA coating was about $5\;{\mu}m$ thick, had a densemicrostructure with no cracks or pores. In addition, the proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells grown on the Si-HA coatings were significantly higher than those on the bare Ti and pure HA coating. These results revealed the stimulatory effects induced by siliconsubstitution on the cellular response to the HA coating.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.45-64
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• 2020

Objectives: Limited information is available on the presence and associated ecological risks of pharmaceutical residues in aquatic environments near pharmaceutical manufacturing areas in Korea. In this study, we investigated the current state of pharmaceutical contamination and its associated ecological risks in streams near a pharmaceutical manufacturing complex. Methods: Seven pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, clarithromycin, diclofenac, diphenhydramine, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid and roxithromycin) were measured in water samples collected from the streams near a pharmaceutical manufacturing complex. A predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) was derived using either the assessment factor method or species sensitivity distribution method. In addition, a hazard quotient for each pharmaceutical was calculated by dividing its measured environmental concentration by its PNEC. Results: Samples collected downstream from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) had higher concentrations of pharmaceuticals than those collected from the reference site (upstream). Moreover, pharmaceutical concentrations were greater in ambient water than in the final effluent from the WWTP, which suggested that non-point sources were contributing to the contamination of the ambient water environment. Some of the target pharmaceuticals exhibited a hazard quotient >1, indicating that their potential ecological effects on the aquatic environment near the pharmaceutical industrial area should not be ignored. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the pharmaceutical manufacturing area was contaminated with residual drugs, and that there was a possible non-point source near the WWTP effluent discharge area. The results of this study will aid in the development of management plans for pharmaceuticals, particularly in hotspots such as pharmaceutical industrial sites and their vicinities.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.346-352
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• 2016

Aroma inhalation therapy has traditionally been used not only in alternative medicinal treatment but also in psychotherapy. In the first stage of the study, the in silico molecular binding affinity of the major ingredients of Smart-Wave (SW) on the active site of the odorant-binding protein (OBP) was compared with that of citrate anions. The binding affinity of the chemical mixture formula of the major ingredients of SW on the OBP was relatively higher than that of citrate anions. In addition, nasal inhalation of SW had a positive effect upon changes in brain waves. Eighteen healthy volunteers participated in the experiment. The study consisted of measurements of the brain’s meditation level recordings in the pre- and post-SW inhalation periods as compared with negative (EV) and positive (HB) control groups. After SW inhalation, all the subjects stated that they felt “fresher” and that the SW trial group had significantly changed the brain’s meditation in a positive way. SW inhalation also converted EV-induced unstable brain meditation wave patterns into more stable patterns. Collectively, the results of this empirical study strongly suggest that the SW mixture activates the OBP and controls the mental state by regulating brain waves. The results provide scientific evidence that the SW formula has potential as an effective mental-stress controller.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.227-234
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• 1999

An association of low total cholesterol in blood with psychiatric diseases and suicidal behavior has been suggested. As part of an attempt to further explore this relationship, we examine first, whether serum cholesterol levels in psychiatric patients with suicidal attempt would be lower than in non-suicidal psychiatric inpatients or normal controls, second, whether such significant difference of cholesterol levels would be present when the diagnostic groups are analyzed separately, third, whether low cholesterol level would be associated with a history of serious suicidal attempts, and finally, whether low cholesterol level in suicide attempters is a state or a trait marker. We determined the serum cholesterol levels in 231 patients admitted to an emergency room following an suicidal attempt, in the same numbers of age-, sex- and diagnosis- matched non-suicidal psychiatric controls, and in the same numbers of age-, sex matched normal controls. The seriousness of an attempt was divided into 5 grades according to the degree of the resulting medical injury. Total cholesterol levels in suicide attempters were significantly lower compared with both psychiatric and normal controls, when sex, age, and nutritional status (i.e., body mass index) were controlled for. This significant relationship was observed in major depressive disorders and personality disorders, but not in schizophrenia and bipolar type I disorders. The severity of suicide by a lowering of blood cholesterol was related to the magnitude of the cholesterol reduction. After treatment of their psychiatric ailments, the cholesterol levels in suicide attempters were significantly increased. This result suggests that low cholesterol level in psychiatric patients might be a potential biological marker of suicide risk. It is hypothesized that low cholesterol levels is associated with the suicide by modifying the serotonin metabolism, the production of interleukin-2 and melatonin metabolism in psychiatric patients.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1485-1489
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• 2004

Panax ginseng is the one of best famous phytochemical plant in the world and it's various positive effects such as antioxidant, regulation of immunity are very well known. In this study, we investigated primary the cell viability and morphological change and secondary an antioxidative effect and liver function improvement of extract from Ginseng folium and stem in CCl4 intoxicated rats. The NCTC cell line were used for cell viability and sirius red staining before the animal experiment. The female Sprague-Dawley rats (90-100g) were divided into 3 groups (Normal, AC: CCl₄ treated group, GFS: CCl₄+ extract of Ginseng folium and stem treated group) and acute liver damage was developed by one time administration of CCl₄ mixture (0.5㎖/rat). The liver tissue and sera were collected and used for quantitative measurement of enzyme activity (AST, ALT, ALP, BUN), MDA and Hyp. As a result, cell viability in GFS treated group (in concentration of 3.33-33.33㎎ GFS/200㎕ medium) was 180.9-241.0% significantly and dose dependently higher than in control group. And potential state of cell growth and differentiation and no criteria of cytoplasm lysis and nucleus breaking were observed in control and GFS group. The parameters of liver function (AST and ALP) in sera of GFS group showed significantly 93% and 67.6% lower than AC group (p<0.005-0.05). And the level of ALT and BUN showed fast similar in AC group and GFS group. The concentration of MDA in liver was decreased 576.5% significantly in GFS group when compared with AC group (p<0.005). The content of Hyp in GFS group is merely lower than in AC group. In conclusion, the water extract of Ginseng folium and stem such as Ginseng radix may be possessed the antioxidative effect and improvement of liver function in CCl₄ intoxicated rats.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.215-223
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• 2008

Due partly to lack of actual lane-changing data and partly to few studies on simulation functions to consider the lane-changing behavior, it may result in significant difference between simulation-based and real conditions. The objectives of this study are to estimate the set of mandatory lane-changing models and to analyze their features, depending on the merge control strategies under the lane-closed work zone operations. To achieve them, first, the elaborated calibration is required to simulate the mandatory lane-changing behaviors with the actual field data. Second, one can estimate their models with the logistic regression models, to obtain traffic variables as well as the lane-changing frequencies under the various levels of work zone traffic conditions. As a result, one can state that the well-calibrated simulation has the potential to properly reflect the target mandatory lane-changing behaviors. In addition, it should be mentioned that the set of proposed models is not practicable but preliminary result needed to identify the relations between the actual traffic conditions and lane-changing maneuvers and to develop their practical models for the actual applications.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2010

This study focuses on the modeling of DMFC to predict the characteristics and to improve its performance. This modeling requires deep understanding of the design and operating parameters that influence on the cell potential. Furthermore, the knowledge with reference to electrochemistry, transport phenomena and fluid dynamics should be employed for the duration of mathematical description of the given process. Considering the fact that MEA is the nucleus of DMFC, special attention was made to the development of mathematical model of MEA. Multiscale modeling is comprised of process modeling as well as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. The CFD packages and process simulation tools are used in simulating the steady-state process. The process simulation tool calculates theelectrochemical kinetics as well as the change of fractions, and at the same time, CFD calculates various balance equations. The integrated simulation with multiscal modeling explains experimental observations of transparent DMFC.